The Hardest Thing
by Dash
Summary: A month after the defeat of Garlic Junior, Piccolo witnesses a pod crashing down to Earth and discovers an impossible alien inside. Chapter 14 is up, Piccolo and company will be in the next chapter. Reviews are loved.
1. Chapter 1

**Aranean: **A race of spider-like creatures that live in swarms.

**Felidean: **A race of slender humanoids with slight feline characteristics.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 1

It started as a low rumble from somewhere below. Futatsu stirred from her meditation and focused on the din. At first, she could not make out the sound; but, as it grew in volume, she knew it to be the sound of shouting. There was some sort of fight happening in the lower levels. She dismissed it and tried to return to her meditation; however, a deafening explosion threw her against a wall of her cell. Ears ringing, she pulled herself up and looked around. The light fizzled thrice before fading away completely leaving her momentarily stranded in the black. She counted to twenty before the auxiliary lights flickered on to reveal the extent of the damage.

The door to her cell was lacking the familiar sheen of its energy barrier. Careful, lest her hypothesis was wrong, Futatsu reached up and touched the place where the barrier had once been. Nothing! The other two prisoners on her level had already discovered the same thing and some were even going so far as to step out. They stared at each other in shocked silence as the realization fully sank in. "We free?" the male Aranean clicked questioningly through his mandibles.

"We are…" the female Felidean confirmed.

The floor shook again and the shouts below turned into screams. Futatsu knew that if they did not leave that they too would soon be screaming. "Hurry," she told them, "now is our chance."

"We have nowhere to go!"

"There are escape pods on every level." Futatsu explained.

"For soldier. Not us." The Aranean clattered despondently.

"We'll soon change that." Futatsu paused at the hallway entrance. The lights pulsed a crimson red in silent alarm. She listened and could hear running, but it was moving away from their position. "This way," she ordered, leading the group further.

"Do you even know where the escape pods are?" The Felidean asked.

"Please be quiet." Futatsu whispered back, "We don't want to call attention to ourselves." Behind her, a door whisked open and out stepped a pair of Felidean soldiers, separating the three escapees. The female Felidean screamed, her shrill voice echoing down the hall.

"Fool!" Futatsu snarled and quickly dispatched of one of the soldiers as the Aranean ripped into the other. Now they could hear the shouts and running of more guards on the way. "Go. Run!"

"I stay. I Fight!" The Aranean clicked, placing himself between the other two and the oncoming assault.

"We stick together, four-legs, let's go."

"Without swarm. I nothing." His mandibles snapped resolve, "You go, now." With no time to argue, Futatsu grabbed the Felidean and ran.

"We can't just leave him!"

"We can," Futatsu shoved her forwards, "we must."

They reached another turn and Futatsu paused again to listen. Another two guards were nearly upon them. She motioned for the Felidean to stay back and waited. The first guard did not stand a chance. He crumpled to the floor before the second could finish firing off a Ki blast. She deflected it and returned with one of her own which grazed his ear. He leapt back and hissed as his eyes began to glow. "I'll take pleasure in killing you, Arkida!"

There was no time for a retort, or even to react. A beam of energy shot from behind her and struck the guard. It pierced his armor and left a gaping wound in his chest. Futatsu looked over her shoulder to her companion and saw the other soldier's weapon in her hands. "I had the setting too high," she said sheepishly.

"You did well," Futatsu replied patiently and motioned for her to follow.

They reached the escape pod bay in silence and Futatsu could not believe their good luck. Not only had they faced very little opposition, but the bay was completely deserted. Perhaps the guards had been called away to the fight? Futatsu wasn't going to over analyze it now, not when they were this close to escaping. She locked the door, knowing that it would only hold off the guards for so long and turned to the control panel. "We are out pretty far…"

"That soldier called you Arkida."

"Yes, he did," Futatsu replied, typing in a few commands. "I can program your pod to take you wherever you need."

The female Felidian's voice became strained, "Empress Una was murdered by someone named Arkida."

Futatsu didn't like where this was going. "A falsehood," she replied, typing in another command. "I will send you to Cymic Two, you can call for sanctuary…"

"It was you," the female Felidian was beginning to hyperventilate. "You killed her."

Futatsu turned to see the guard's weapon trained on her and raised her hands. "Please calm down."

"You killed her!" Futatsu dove away from the console, narrowly avoiding the weapon's deadly blast. The console exploded in a shower of sparks and flames.

"Mindless child!" Futatsu cried, "have you any idea what you have done?" The female fired off another shot but Futatsu had been ready this time around. She dodged to the right before tackling the Felidian to the ground and ripping the weapon from her hand. She hissed and struggled against Futatsu's grasp. "Luckily for you I have already entered your co-ordinates."

"Let me go!"

"Certainly," Futatsu complied and shoved the female into the waiting pod. "Good journey!" She exclaimed as the door melted into place and punched the launch button, "and good riddance." The launch hatch closed down and she watched from the window as the pod shot into space.

There was a pounding at the door and Futatsu quickly slipped into the next available pod, "and luckily for me, these pods have holo-consoles." She entered in a few basic commands and the last thing she saw before she was launched into space were several guards bursting through the bay doors. Then, the stasis gas took her.

Futatsu was pulled awake by the sound of a low, incessant beeping. She tapped on her view screen, searching for the reason of the alarm. The pod's energy was dangerously low. "What? How have long I been in stasis?" She punched through the console's various commands, looking for a solution. If the pod's energy ran out, she would be left to drift through space until she died. In her despair, she found nothing and resorted to the only option she had left.

* * *

Still, he wondered whether or not if it was now safe to wish the moon back into existence. He raised his head, looking up at the stars in contemplation. How many more Saiyans could there be in the universe? If one were to take Vegeta's claims to heart there were only the two, (and a half), and all were without their tails. It was a thought, but one that could not be realized for at least another month.

The glimmer of a star caught Piccolo's attention. It was a new one, he noted, and decidedly brighter than the ones around it. He watched it for a moment longer before returning to his mediation. A few minutes passed before the realization struck him and he looked up again. "That's no star!" He shouted as the flaming object soared overhead and crashed several miles away.

The object was easy enough for Piccolo to track down. It had collided into one of the many plateaus and had ricocheted into the ground, creating a noticeable crater on the southernmost part of the area, near the beach. The metallic thing looked to be halfway buried in the rubble; and from, what he could see, Piccolo imagined it to be oblong in shape with long groves running along its length. Detecting no apparent hostile energies, he landed for a closer look.

The metal was surprisingly cool to the touch and Piccolo was able to pull it out of the earth with ease. He set the object on the ground and discovered that his assumption on its shape had been nearly correct. While the 'top' end had been curved, the 'bottom' ended in a point, like an almond. Piccolo felt a growing sense of concern. He placed his hand on its surface and concentrated. There was a very faint Ki signature deep within. The object was no mere piece of space junk. Its design was far too precise for that, it was something else entirely. It was a pod!

"First it was the Saiyans, and now what?" Piccolo growled and glared accusingly at the seed-shaped pod. He had half a mind to just leave it be and wait to see what came out; however, the Ki he had felt inside was beginning to fade. If the creature in the pod didn't get out soon, it was possible that it may never do so. His thoughts drifted to the young Son Gohan and knew that the young boy would have chosen to save the one inside despite the risk involved. Piccolo sighed, realizing with disdain what he had already resolved to do: he was going to do the 'right' thing, and open the pod.

He quickly discovered a problem with his plan to free the one inside. He could find no apparent door or window. Piccolo considered just blasting it open but there was a chance that he could harm, or even kill the pod's sole passenger. Not one to be so easily discouraged, Piccolo carefully flipped the pod over to have a look at the other side and saw, (a little to his embarrassment for not having noticed it before), an orb-like metal object jutting out of its middle. It had to be the pod's access point. "You'd better not make me regret this," he warned although he doubted that the one inside could hear him and placed his hand on the orb.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. The orb began to glow a bright red as it sank into the cored the pod. He watched as the edges of the resulting hole looked to melt away and created a suitable exit. Piccolo smirked, knowing of a certain blue haired woman who would kill to cannibalize such technology. The lone Namek took one look at the person inside and reeled back in horror, "No way!"

The alien's resemblance to a Namek was uncanny, but it was the differences that had shocked him. The most prevalent of these was the alien's body which was similar to that of a human female. She sat motionless to an uncomfortable looking chair with her hair, (another major difference to that of a real Namek), cascading down like water across her thread-bare clothing. Piccolo tilted her chin upwards to get a better look at her face. She had the same ears, the same antennae and patches as any real Namek but her brow was not as prominent and her skin tone looked to be a softer green than his own; but, the paleness of her skin could easily be attributed to her weakening Ki.

Piccolo's attention turned to her hands which were wrapped in several strands of hair-thin metal. His eyes followed the length of the strands to both sides of the pod's interior where the panels had been pulled—no, ripped—away. His only conclusion was that the threads now wrapped about her hands had once been a part of the pod's circuitry. He grabbed the strands still wrapped about her hands and felt a sudden surge run down his arm. Piccolo let out a sharp curse and pulled his hand away. The strands, or whatever they really were, had tried to zap away his own Ki.

"No wonder you're so weak," he muttered to the unconscious pseudo-Namek. Touching the strands was now out of the questions, but there were other ways that Piccolo could sever them. Two quick and precise shots of energy from his eyes and the metallic follicles fell away. He reached in and pulled the now freed woman out. "Now what am I supposed to do with you?"

Sometime later, Piccolo stood next to Kami and watched Mr. Popo tend to the Lookout's newest guest. The ancient genie's knowledge in medicine had helped to stabilize the blue-haired woman's energy and bandage the wounds on her hands; but, she was still weak and he doubted that she would wake up any time soon. After hearing Piccolo's story on how he had found her, Mr. Popo nodded. "Then that must be the cause of her condition."

"And she intentionally allowed it." Piccolo replied, turning to leave, "let me know when she wakes up. I have a few questions for her."

"Yes," Kami watched his younger half leave and turned his attention back to the bed, "As do I."


	2. Chapter 2

Special thanks to Seru for allowing me to bounce ideas off of him.

The Namekian Language was found online, search for: "Speaking Namek 101." Aeridi was also based off of this.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 2

Futatsu's solution to the pod's energy problem had been a dangerous one. If the pod failed to find a suitable planet, she would be doomed to the very fate she was trying to prevent. To complicate matters further, she was not heading to Cymic Two. Unlike the Felidean female, the priests there were not likely to grant her sanctuary. She was, after all, Arkida Futatsu: The Aeridin accused of murdering their beloved Empress Una, among others.

No. If Futatsu was going to find any peace she had to leave Triad Space entirely. She had programmed the pod to find a hospitable planet but the probability of that actually happening was extremely slim. There were an infinite number of planets in the galaxy, but only a finite amount that were livable. The odds were grossly against her favor.

And yet, that miniscule chance, that one out of billions or more, was her only hope. The risk to her life was nothing compared to the chance to survive. She scratched at the metallic interior of her would-be casket. Nails were broken and skin was torn as she found the thin crevices and pulled away the panels to get to the Aranean Silk beneath that made up the pod's wiring. Futatsu ripped up as much as she dared and wrapped about her bleeding hands. The holo-controls instantly became static and blipped out of existence, but it no longer mattered. The Aranean Silk began to slowly syphon away her Ki. She had become the pod's energy source and she would either survive… or die trying. Futatsu soon fell into unconsciousness.

Blue. A gentle blue splattered with puffs of white. It was such a peaceful sight; but, what was this: her rescuer? No, a demon! A foul perversion of Aeridin purity! What world of false beauty is this where such horrific demons ran free? It, he, spoke intelligible words: a spell of evil that pulled the helpless Futatsu into the black abyss of his eyes.

She floated aimlessly in the endless dark, lamenting her folly. Oh, by the Great Mother! Why had she run? Life in prison would have been far better than the eternal damnation she now faced. The dark, gruff voice returned, speaking in that accursed language. It sounded to her strangely like an audio recording being played in reverse. Her captor, she realized, was not alone. A second voice answered him and he replied in turn. Then, a third voice joined in. She listened, hoping that she could recognize something in their words; however, the voices quickly faded away and left her in blind silence.

Sound returned, and with it, a voice. It hummed a song that, although a little off tune, was welcoming all the same. She could smell something sweet and feel a cool breeze against her cheek. Futatsu risked opening her eyes and saw that she was in a small, strangely decorated bedroom. The humming that she heard was coming from an open portal on the wall.

She sat up, feeling foolish. It had been nothing, a nightmare caused by her Ki-starved delirium. Demons did not, could not, walk the world of mortals for long… could they? Surely not! Her hands were bandaged and her prison tunic had been replaced by a white gown. What demon would care for the health or appearance of their prisoner? No demon that she had ever heard of.

A dream! Yes, it had to be. Thank the Great Mother! She was still in the realm of mortals. Futatsu followed the sound of the humming and peered out. The sky was a gentle blue that darkened the higher it reached. It touched ledge of a large, circular and tiled courtyard. There were trees in groups of four lined parts of the perimeter. Another group consisting of a completely type of tree stood near the courtyard's center. These trees were lined up to form some type of walkway.

The humming was coming from below where a rotund looking bipedal creature sat tending to brightly colored flowers. His skin was as black as the abyss she had just awoken from and his ears were just as pointed as her own. He had odd wrappings about his head that hid his hair, (if he had any to speak of). He looked up to her, smiled with bright red lips and waved his palm in her direction.

Futatsu frowned at the insult to her cleanliness and turned away from the window. She reminded herself to take it all in a stride. Perhaps in his culture aliens were considered unclean; however, she could not understand why he cleaned the air between them with such a welcoming expression on his nose-less face.

A knocking sound pulled her attention to what she assumed to be a door. Futatsu crossed the small room and pulled it open by its odd looking handle and there stood the same native as before. He smiled at her again and spoke. Her heart sank as the words that parted his plump lips sounded as garbled as the words in her dream.

* * *

Mr. Popo had been pleased to see that his new charge was awake. He shrugged off her cold response to his wave, assuming that she was merely confused. The genie quickly made it to her room and smiled warmly as the door was opened. "I am glad to see you awake," he told her, "My name is Mr. Popo. Welcome to Earth! Eh?" The Alien woman backed away, looking as if she had seen a ghost. "Miss! Are you ok? What is wrong?"

The woman seemed to regain some of her composure and shook her head. "Ah tro ana b'ci su."

Mr. Popo froze and tried to understand what he had just heard. The language the woman spoke sounded almost like Namekian. Perhaps it was a different dialect? This would make sense given the similarities of her physiology to Kami and Piccolo. He decided to try Namekian. "Dou su bici kaah krafkaa?" Which translated into 'do you understand me now?' He doubted that her eyes could have gotten any wider.

"S-… soo… gal-ee… tah-oo… gah-r… cah-vah?" Her words were slow, unsure and grammatically incorrect, but it was Namekian none-the-less. She had literally asked, 'you speak old tongue?'

He nodded, ecstatic at the successful communication. "_I am_ _Mr. Popo_." He said slowly so that she could understand him.

"Mis-ter Po-po…" She repeated, testing the syllables of his name on her tongue. "_I… am… Arkida Futatsu_."

"_It is a pleasure to meet you, Arkida Futatsu._"

"_Futatsu… please."_

Mr. Popo nodded again and said, "_Futatsu_." He then sent a telepathic message to Kami and Piccolo to say that she was awake. They were going to be very surprised. "_Would you like some water?_"

She lowered her head, "Ee… _Yes… thank you."_

* * *

Kami silently acknowledged Mr. Popo's telepathic message and finished with his task. Unlike his younger counter-part, the Guardian of Earth was not too worried about the alien. Her appearance, although alarming, did not concern him. The thing that mattered most to Kami was the purity of her heart. As far as he could tell, she was not evil. If she had been, he would not have permitted Piccolo to leave her at the Lookout.

He was willing to allow her to stay there but that did not mean that Kami was looking forward to meeting her. During their stay on Earth, Kami had spoken extensively to Elder Moori about Namekian culture and history. Not once during their conversations did he ever mention anyone like the woman now residing at his lookout.

Piccolo may have rescued her, but he clearly felt a sense of distrust. Kami wasn't sure where his feelings were coming from. Was it Piccolo who felt this way, or was it Nail's influence? If he was, then Kami expected that she might just react just as negatively when meeting a Namekian, or worse.

The door to her room was open and he could hear Mr. Popo and her talking in Namekian. The conversation was mostly one-sided with Mr. Popo telling her about himself and asking her questions and she replying with short, timid answers. She sounded polite enough, giving Kami the hope of a peaceful meeting; however, as he entered the room, the woman's demeanor changed completely. Her placid expression contorted to one of shock and terror. "Namek!" She shrieked and leapt off of the bed where she had been sitting.

* * *

Futatsu was not sure of what to make of Mr. Popo, but he had a likeable demeanor. He was a 'Genie' and the assistant to the 'guardian' of the planet which was called Earth. There were no guardians of planets where she was from, at least none that she was aware of. The Triad Military defended their space and planets with a fierce jealousy and she realized that it was a miracle that she had been able to escape at all.

She heard footsteps outside and looked to the door to see an old male with skin like her own and completely bald. Futatsu a cold sensation run down her spine. No, it was impossible, how could it be? "Demon!" She shrieked and jumped away.

The demon stepped forwards and spoke in the ancient tongue, but in her terror Futatsu could not hear him. She backed away, bumped against the window and pressed herself against it. "Demons…" She muttered in despair, "Great Mother help me. It was no dream!"

"_Miss Futatsu, please calm down!_" Mr. Popo pleaded in the ancient tongue, "_This is Kami. He is the Guardian of Earth I spoke of!_"

Futatsu stared at the two in disbelief, "_Guardian of Earth?"_ She asked, pointing to the demon named Kami, "_Him?_" The two nodded which she took to mean 'yes'; but, a Demon acting as protector of an entire world? It did not make sense! Why would a demon protect anything? They were tricksters, corruptors, and they delighted in chaos and decay. They were ancient Aeridin that had given in to the temptations of evil and their bodies, their souls, had been twisted and mutated as a result. A demon would not protect a world. He would destroy it piece by piece.

And yet, Futatsu felt a twinge of doubt. The demon named Kami who now stood before her stared at her with a passive look on his racially familiar face. She felt no malcontent, no sense of evil and aside from his appearance there was not a thing about him that screamed 'demon'. "I do not understand," She muttered in Aeridi before adding in the ancient tongue, "_What… are you?_"

"_I am a demon._" He replied.

"_I… do not… believe you_…" She argued, "_Demons… are evil… you are not."_

Kami straightened his stance, "_I split from my evil self a long time ago._"

"Permanent fission?" She decided that it was best to set aside her doubts for the time being and focus on the subject at hand. The practice of permanent fission was outlawed in Triad territories, and for good reason. It was dangerous and increased the risk of death exponentially. If one died, so did the other; and, if Kami – the good half – was here, "_where is… your evil side?_"

* * *

Another mountain of ice crumbled into thousands of shards. Piccolo peered down at his handiwork dissatisfied with the size of the pieces. They should have been smaller which meant that he needed to put a little more power into his attack. Piccolo turned to search for another sizeable glacier when Mr. Popo's message drifted across his thoughts. He fired a final blast of Ki at a smaller block of ice and watched it explode into a shower of frozen specs. Much better, but it still needed work; however, that would have to wait until later. For now he had other things to deal with.

Piccolo sped towards Kami's Lookout and made it there in record time. He quickly entered the temple but slowed his pace as he listened to the conversation already taking place much further down the hallway.

"Namek-ta!..." A feminine voice seemed to whimper, "Tougal t'lo l'na ah. Wat retsa ana uman!"

He frowned. The language sounded like some bastardized version of Namekian, but she spoke the word 'Namek' as if it was vile on her tongue. Piccolo tried to catch the similarities of the language, but she was speaking too fast for him to keep up. Great, jut great! It would be his luck that she didn't know the common language. After his trip to Namek, Piccolo had come to believe that everybody did. Well, so much for that theory.

"_Miss Futatsu, please calm down! This is Kami. He is the Guardian of Earth I spoke of!_"

"_Guardian of Earth? Him?_" He stopped just outside the door and crossed his arms. At least the woman understood some Namekian. Communication wasn't going to be as annoying as he feared. "Ah tro ana b'ci. _What… are you?_"

"_I am a Namek_." Kami spoke calmly.

"_I… do not… believe you_… _Nameks… are evil… you are not." _Piccolo nearly gave himself away with a disdainful snort. Evil? Nameks? Well, yes, there was Lord Slug, his father King Piccolo and even himself for a time, but Nameks were mostly good.

"_I split from my evil self a long time ago._" Way to go, Kami. Tell the alien we don't know or trust our biggest weakness, idiot! Why not just go ahead and tell her about the Dragon Balls too while you're at it, make sure she knows everything.

The woman muttered something that Piccolo could never hope to translate and then asked, "_where is… your evil side?_"

The question left a bad taste in his mouth, and it was enough to spur him into action. Piccolo stepped into view and stared the pseudo-Namek down. "_Right here._"


	3. Chapter 3

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 3

Piccolo braced himself for the inevitable scream that was to follow his abrupt introduction, but it never came. Confused, he locked eyes with her momentarily and read not fear, but confusion in her pale, violet eyes. They reminded him of a sweet smelling flower that he had forgotten the name of. She broke the brief connection and looked him over with an incredulous eye. "_No, cannot be,_" she said finally but then appeared unsure, "_well, maybe… but… too young… not so evil. How is this?_"

Kami chuckled and Piccolo realized that it was his expression that had changed her mind. He had been surprised by her lack of belief in his claim. Before Gohan everyone had seen him as evil; and yet, at first glance, she had disagreed. It was secretly refreshing. He caught the feeling in its infancy and quickly ripped it away. "_Futatsu, this is Piccolo._" Kami explained, "_He is what he claims to be, but much has changed since then. He is the one that found you._"

"_Another… world?_" 'Picco lo' was Namekian for 'another world.' Piccolo scowled and she quickly lowered her head to say, "_I see. Thank you, Piccolo._"

Piccolo harrumphed and crossed his arms, "_You can thank me by answering my questions._" She breathed out a sigh and raised her hands to him as if to motion for him to continue. He decided that he would start with the pod. It didn't seem to him that she intentionally landed on their planet. It was more like a crash. "_What happened in the pod_?"

"_Energy was low_," Futatsu answered simply, "_So… I use mine._"

Her own Ki, a move like that could have just as easily killed her. "_Where were you headed?_" She wasn't worth the wish to send her home, but if Doctor Briefs had built ships in the past, maybe he could build another for her.

Futatsu ran her fingers through her long strands of blue hair, "_I do not know,_" she muttered, "_away from where I was._"

That sounded to him as if she was running from something or someone; and, in his experience that often meant trouble. "_Explain_." He emphasized the command by taking a step forwards.

Her back already to the wall, Futatsu stood at her full height, which was about six feet tall, and flashed him a cool smile. "_You could say… I was looking for… another world_."

Piccolo might have been able to ignore the blatant pun on his name if it hadn't been for the uproarious laughter behind him. Cheeks darkened, he glared over his shoulder to where Kami stood, "this isn't a joke, old man!" He snarled in Japanese.

"Oh, I agree, but it is funny all the same." The old Namek replied with a grin, "Perhaps she would be more receptive if you didn't have such a threatening attitude." He turned to Futatsu and spoke in Namekian, "_Miss Futatsu, please tell us what happened to you. Take your time, there is no rush_."

Futatsu looked reticent as her pale eyes drifted over the three with a somber expression. Finally she spoke, "_Please… do not judge harshly_." It felt to Piccolo that her words were aimed to him more than Kami or Mr. Popo, but perhaps that was just paranoia. "_I am a…_" She paused, breathed, and started again, _"I ran from prison_…"

There was a moment of silence with her words. "_You are a convict?_" Kami asked. Wonderful, so what they had on their hands was a convicted felon. Someone was going to come after her and that meant even more trouble.

"_Yes_." She sighed.

"_Are you guilty?_"

"_Mostly,_" she replied and turned to gaze out of the window.

"_I see…_" Kami muttered and Piccolo could tell that his counterpart didn't entirely believe her reply. Perhaps the old Guardian felt as he did that there was much more to the story that needed to be told; however, her knowledge of Namekian was limited which made it difficult for her to explain in detail. Piccolo decided it would be best to wait a while before pressing further on exactly what this supposed crime was.

There other issues that now concerned him. If this woman was indeed a fugitive, how long would it be until someone came looking for her? Knowing Kami as he did, the old man wouldn't be so eager to simply hand her over. Futatsu had said that her pod was made to find 'another world' and he assumed that she meant that the word she really meant was 'programmed'. "_Why this planet_?"

Futatsu kept staring out the window as she answered, "_Not in… Triad Space._ _Not likely to follow._"

"_Why not?_" Piccolo asked assuming that 'Triad' was some sort of group or union like the Planet Trade Organization.

Futatsu huffed at the utterance of his question and replied, "_Hard to say. I do not know word… space locked? Lucky I got past!_"

"I believe I understand," Kami spoke up and began to explain, "This Triad Space, or territory, must have locked borders: no one in, no one out. She believes they will not follow her because she is out of their reach."

"For her sake, she had better hope that she's right." Piccolo replied. If this Triad did come to Earth, he planned to hand her over. After all, she was guilty ("mostly" whatever that meant) of the crimes that she had committed; and yet, Piccolo had his doubts. They had yet to know what her crimes really were and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was situational. He had committed several crimes in his life time, more than he would ever care to admit to. What would he do if he found himself convicted of a felony? There was no prison that could hold him, save one or two. He shuddered involuntarily at the image of a rice steamer.

"I believe we have asked her enough questions for now," Kami stated, his black eyes fixed on his new guest. She was staring out the window again and her eyes, those pale violet eyes, had a distant look to them. "Mr. Popo, can you tend to her needs?"

"Yes, Kami." Mr. Popo nodded and watched the two halves leave the room.

* * *

Piccolo followed Kami into his throne room. "What do you plan to do with her?"

"Me?" Kami shook his head and sat down, "Nothing, she may stay here for a short time, but she cannot stay indefinitely. Futatsu is your responsibility.

The old Namek found it very difficult to laugh at the expression his younger self made in response. "What do you mean she's my responsibility?"

"You found her." Kami shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "You deal with her."

"I've got to train! I don't have time for that…" He flung his arm out in the direction he knew Futatsu to be, "that woman!"

"Well," Kami sat down on his ancient through, entwining his fingers around his staff. "I suggest you make time." With an angry flip of his cape, Piccolo retreated from the room leaving Kami in the silence of his work. The old guardian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I may yet regret that."

* * *

Futatsu listened to the three speak in the disconcerting language that she assumed to be the native tongue. They were talking of the Triad, but apart from that she hadn't a clue of what they were saying. The language of Earth sounded ugly and uncouth to her, but it was one that she knew she would have to learn in order to survive on the blue-skied planet.

Such a pretty blue, so peaceful and serene! It was much different than the green and orange skies that she was accustomed to. It was a welcomed change and perhaps a good omen of things to come. Here she could grieve the loss of her beloved Una in peace and no be accosted by those who would call Futatsu of her murder. She did not kill Empress Una but, it was her fault, was it not? She should have realized the danger and taken steps to protect the Empress but she had failed. Her only solace was that those responsible now resided in hell.

"_Miss Futatsu_?"

She turned at the sound of her name and saw that the two Nameks had left. "_Yes, Mr. Popo_?"

"_Would you like a tour of the grounds?_"

"_Yes. Thank you, Mr. Popo._"

Mr. Popo led Futatsu out into the curved hallway and explained that they were currently in the private living quarters. He then began to explain the basic history of the floating platform, reiterating some of what he had told her before. Futatsu pretended to listen attentively, far too embarrassed to tell him that he was talking too fast in the ancient tongue for her to keep up.

From what she gathered, 'The Lookout' was in geosynchronous orbit with planet Earth. She was secretly curious as to how Kami was able to 'keep watch' over the planet at such a distance and whether or not any technology was involved. Furthermore, how many Earth inhabitants knew about the floating palace? She hypothesized that with the right equipment that the structure could be detected, unless there was something was interfering with such transmissions? Futatsu had so many questions and not the vocabulary to ask them! It was frustrating.

At one point, Mr. Popo stopped in front of a door and announced that it led to the 'Room of Time.' The explanation boiled down to sending one's essence to another point in time, usually for battle training but Futatsu could easily think of other uses. Mr. Popo even opened the door and allowed her a peek inside. The circular chamber was covered in what he called 'clocks' which was a way to measure the time of day. Yet another thing Futatsu had to learn about.

Mr. Popo then showed her a large balcony area which also functioned as a sort of common room. There were pillows strewn across the floor made it feel strikingly similar Empress Una's favorite lounge. The genie noticed her expression and asked, "_Are you all right, Miss Futatsu?_"

"_I'm fine, Mr. Popo._" She replied, faking a smile, "_please, lead on._"

The two continued down to another door which Mr. Popo opened to reveal another room. This one was almost completely dark, save for an odd looking piece of technology sitting to one side. "_This is a Teleporter Machine_," he explained, "_It can transport you anywhere on Earth_."

"_Very useful_," Futatsu muttered, hoping that she had understood Mr. Popo correctly. Her main interest was that there was indeed technology on the Lookout which strengthened her previous theory.

Eventually the two wondered outside and onto the Lookout's vast courtyard. Save for a few scattered grouping of trees, the white-tiled courtyard had a rather barren feel to it. The courtyard was virtually empty save for a lone individual sitting lotus style near the Lookout's circular edge: Piccolo. He stood as they approached and turned to face them with his arms crossed and that same scowl from before still written across his face.

Was he always so angry? No, this was more like annoyance. Futatsu decided that it was best to treat him with kid gloves lest she incite is true anger. "_Hello again,_" she said, offering him a warm smile, "_It is… a nice view, yes?_" His scowl deepened and her smile faded away.

He scoffed and demanded, "_Can you fly?_"

Futatsu looked down to the ebony skinned genie who shrugged back. She turned back to Piccolo and asked, "_Do you mean a ship or…?_"

"_Alone,_" he replied evenly and began to hover in the air a few feet.

It was such an odd thing to ask. Futatsu had a sick feeling in the core of her body. "_I can,_" she replied cautiously.

"_Prove it_." He ordered and she complied, floating upwards until her head was level with his. Piccolo floated closer, his deep black eyes looking her over. Futatsu remained still, wary of what this demon, this Namek was up to. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

She narrowly dodged being struck down by a blur of a punch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fact:** The Aranean race consists of three separate genders: male, female, and hijal; hijals are considered to be the superior gender.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 4

Futatsu dodged the punch just as Piccolo expected, but he wasn't about to let up. Ignoring Mr. Popo's pleas to stop, he went on to deliver another series of attacks which she was easily able to avoid and then decided that it was time to turn up the heat. His attacks became increasingly faster and harder until his fist finally connected with the side of her abdomen. She tumbled to the ground doubled over and breathing in slow, haggard breaths. Piccolo floated above her and waited impatiently for her to get back up. How odd that woman had only tried to dodge his attacks, why didn't she try to defend herself? "_What's the matter_?" he egged her on, "_don't you know how to fight back_?"

"_No reason_," she stood up with one hand over her stomach, "_until now_!" Her free hand flicked in his direction as if tossing a handful of dust and a Technicolor spray of tiny Ki balls shot from her finger tips. A sharp smell burned the inside of his nostrils as the hot sparks detonated in front of his face leaving a hot white after image on his eyes.

Piccolo had been quick to cover his eyes with his arm before the trick could do any real damage, but in the short moment of confusion he felt his weighted turban slip off of his head. He turned to see it flying back at him and moved to catch it. No, wait! Piccolo held up his arms again. The turban clanked against his arms, followed by three quick blasts of Ki.

"_Nice tricks!" _He called out as a devious smirk spread across his lips. By using Ki, Futatsu had opened the proverbial Pandora's Box. Piccolo decided that if she was going to use it, then so would he. "_Too bad that's all they are!"_

He released a volley of blasts that the blue-haired alien attempted to dodge just as he knew she would. Piccolo kicked up his speed and moved to another position and fired off another series of Ki balls that Futatsu had no choice but to block. The last blast had barely hit her before his arm stretched the ten foot distance between them and he snatched the unsuspecting Futatsu by her neck.

Her sharp nails stabbed and raked at the skin about his wrist as she struggled to get free but it was of no use, a few pricks of pain weren't enough to stop him. Still smirking, Piccolo lifted her higher and prepared to slam her into the floor.

But, as he reached the apex of his hammer-slamming attack the muscles in his arm—nay, the muscles in his entire body—began to seize up and spasm. It felt as if he was being pricked a millions of times over with white-hot needles! His antennae felt as if they were wilting, his ears had gone numb, and his teeth felt as if they had been fused together! The woman, the damned woman, was trying to electrify him! It was a commendable effort which might have worked… if he had been a mere Earthling, but he was not!

Piccolo gritted his teeth and forced his muscles to push through to complete his attack. Futatsu's back slammed into floor and he heard the distinct sound of cracking rock. He felt her grip on his arm loosen, released her throat, and pulled his arm back to normal. She remained so still that, for a split moment, Piccolo feared that he might have accidentally killed her; and, then, she breathed.

Piccolo stepped forward, half expecting her to launch a surprise attack. Futatsu's eyes shifted to focus on him and it seemed as if they were darker than they were before. Her hair which was spread out across the marble looked like several raging rivers converging onto a single point. How badly had the shock affected her? Well, it was a valid but desperate tactic. If you know you're about to go down, take your opponent with you.

He kneeled down and offered her his hand, "_You weren't at your full power._"

"_You… neither…_" She gasped and accepted his hand.

Piccolo pulled her up and looked her over once more. She was no Gohan by any means, but she still had a lot of potential; and, by keeping her close he wouldn't have to visit the Lookout and deal with Kami any more than he had to. "_You're coming with me._"

The color in Futatu's eyes faded back to their original shade of pale violet as her brows knit together, "_What?_"

"But, Piccolo…" Mr. Popo muttered, stepping forwards with a worried look in his usually expressionless eyes.

Of course the genie would assume the worse. Piccolo sneered, pointedly ignoring Mr. Popo and kept his attention on Futatsu. Gohan had turned out ok, didn't he? "_Kami has said that you are to be my responsibility. If I'm going to have to keep an eye on you, it's going to be a place of my choosing, and not his._"

Futatsu's lips pursed into a slight pout, "_I do not… need a sitter_."

"_You really don't have a choice in the matter_!" Piccolo stated bullishly but then decided to try another avenue, "_You don't know the language here, I do; and, I can help you improve your skill in battle_."

The woman sighed, her pale eyes drifted to the right as if she would find the answer she sought there. "_Very well_," she said finally, "_I shall go with you_."

"_Good,_" Piccolo's smirk returned to his lips, "_We leave now_."

* * *

When Vegeta stated that there had only been four Saiyans left after the destruction of their planet, he was wrong. He had forgotten about his little brother Tarble and the countless children that had been sent across the universe to conquer and destroy. Some of them were still alive and one of them was named Jatoba.

The Araneans were a ravenous spider-like race that reproduced by the thousands and required an ample amount of space and food to do so. Their government had decided that it was simply less costly to hire the Planet Trade Organization to send out agents and prepare the planet for them. They had been surprised that such a massive organization had sent a single Saiyan child to the planet; but, the young female completed the task a year ahead of schedule. Pleased with her work, the Aranean Government quickly paid the Planet Trade Organization for her work and asked for yet another planet to be prepared. Jatoba was sent out again and again, preparing planet after planet to become Aranean breeding grounds.

As Jatoba reached adulthood she became dissatisfied with her work. She was tired of the Planet Trade Organization. Her work was no longer challenging and lacked all the thrill of battle. She detested all aspects of the Aranean race and the very thought of them made her skin crawl in disgust; and so, Jatoba devised a plan. She and her band of cohorts would revisit the very first planet she had been assigned to 'prepare'. It was a thriving metropolis, full of young Araneans and their swarms of hatchlings.

Destroying the entire planet had been much more satisfying. Jatoba and her gang set out on an extermination spree, eliminating as many of the spider worlds as they could find and killing anyone that got in their way. The Aranean Government contacted the Planet Trade Organization, urging them to take control of their errant agent and her goons but their pleas went ignored.

It was up to the Triad Alliance to take care of the problem; but, each time they believed they had defeated her, she came back stronger and more ruthless than ever. When it seemed like nothing they could do would ever effectively kill her, an advisor to one of the Triad leaders proposed an interesting question: "We continuously choose the same road when there are other avenues we can take. Why kill her when there are other options available to us?"

The Aranean Emperor announced that she was going to hold a summit on Latrodus Two in order to plan a way to do just that. Jatoba saw the summit as a great opportunity to destroy several Aranean leaders and their cohorts in one go. It never occurred to her or her minions that the entire meeting was a sham to lure the Saiyan woman into the web they had woven just for her. Aranean silk is an amazing material: organically made, it had a composition similar to that of some of the strongest metals known to exist; and, when charged properly, Aranean silk can be used to syphon energy from another source, namely that of a victim caught in an Aranean web.

Jatoba and her gang made it to the planet's surface with ease eagerly killing everything in their path as they headed for the summit hall. They never realized that every spider they met was merely a mindless drone hatched for the very purpose to fight and die by their hands. The gang entered the hall, hoping for a good battle but soon discovered that the energy signatures they had detected had been falsified. All they found was a single hijal Aranean waiting for them which they quickly killed, but not before it activated the webbing that made up the summit hall's floor.

The Aranean silk was able to weaken the gang just enough for the stasis gas to do its job.

Rather than kill them, it was decided to surgically remove Jatoba's tail and keep the gang in stasis until they could be sent to a suitable prison planet. This proved to be a disastrous mistake as Jatoba had more allies than the Triad Alliance ever realized.

* * *

Imoni had worked tirelessly to gain a position in the Felidean Prison Guard system but his work was far from over. He did his best to gain the confidence of her superior officers, but quickly becoming known as a clumsy idiot, but hard working deputy. His work eventually paid off and he was placed where they believed he could do the least amount of damage: The Hibernation Facility, night shift.

His job was simple: guard the door and let no one in unless they had the proper codes and do not, under any circumstances, touch the equipment. Working the night shift meant that Imoni wouldn't have to deal with many of the Hibernation Facility operators and the less he was charged to do, the less likely he was to screw up.

However, Imoni may have been clumsy, but he was by no means an idiot. In fact, the scrawny male Felidean was actually a technological genius! He understood the Hibernation system better than the operators themselves. He knew how to quickly and safely wake someone up from stasis and was able to hide his modifications with surprising ease. All Imoni had to do was wait for the most opportune time to hit the switch.

His chance came soon enough. The ship would take several more months before it reached its destination and it was light years away from any feasible form of assistance. With just a few taps into the computer, Imoni was able to hack the ship's system, disrupt communications and doubly ensure that no help would come. Then, and only then, did he dare to awaken his friends.

Jatoba was the first to step out of stasis, the acrid scent of gaseous ice filled Imoni's nostrils and made his eyes water. The Saiyan woman gazed broadly about the chamber as her furry brown tail unfurled itself from her waist. "Jatoba," Imoni spoke with a nervous laugh, "Nice to see you up and about!"

"How long have I been out?" She asked.

"A-a year…" He stammered, "Or-or s-so."

Before he could even blink, Imoni was slammed against the hospital-white walls of the Hibernation Facility with Jatoba's crushing grip on his throat "What do you mean 'a year or so'?" She snarled. Imoni sputtered and choked, pawing helplessly at her hand. Jatoba scoffed and released him and let him sink to the floor. "Well?"

"It took time," Imoni gasped, "and planning. I had to make sure everything was perfect. Th-the others should be waking soon."

"And then what? Where are we?"

"On-on… a prison transport," he replied.

"Oh yeah," She rolled her eyes, "because that's just perfect!"

The other chamber pods hissed open, revealing three other tired individuals. Imoni smiled, "don't worry, miss, I have a plan that I know you're going to love!"


	5. Chapter 5

****Special thanks to Aven and Seru for helping keep Piccolo in character.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 05

The heat from the twin suns poured down onto the back of Futatsu's neck and ears and she longed for the feel of the crisp cool water far below. Her skin was momentarily relieved by a gust of wind that played with a few loose strands of hair and tickled her brow. The wind carried with it a cacophony of scents: the salt of the sea, the rich smoke from the distant city gleaming white against the orange sky, and the flowery perfume of the one who stood before her.

She was Princess Una. Her wide, gooseberry green eyes were littered with flecks of gold that shimmered with the light. Set in each iris was an obsidian stone, carved into the shape of a perfect sphere. Futatsu sometimes believed that she could peer into those pupils and see the entire galaxy beyond. Una was shorter than her, by a foot and a half at least with velvety skin a blend of white and soft grey splattered with a few stripes that faded into her long black hair.

Una was nervous, that much was obvious, her ears twitched and her fingers flexed as peered over the side of the hover-stage at the dark blue water below. The constant drone of the machine's engine was just enough to drown out everything but the moan of the wind. "And you do this for fun?" She asked, turning her gaze back onto the taller Aeridin.

"Yes," Futatsu smiled, "all the time."

"But it's so high up," She cried, "What if you mess up? At this height the water may as well be a brick wall."

"It's dangerous, I admit, but freeing all the same." Futatsu replied patiently, "if you wish to back out, we can. No one will think less of you."

"No, I want to do it." Una replied as she peered down at the water again, "I can fly, I've just never done it from such a high fall."

Futatsu held her hand out to the princess, "I'll be with you the entire time."

Una's fingers between Futatsu's own, "I know," she whispered.

"Are you ready?" Futatsu asked.

"Yes," she answered, "as much as I'll ever be."

"Good. We'll go on three." Futasu replied and then called out, "Three!" and jumped off, dragging the screaming Una along with her.

The air rushed past, it bit at her face and roared into her ears until she could barely hear the cries of her partner. Futatsu had done it so many times that the long-fall was almost instinctual for her, but not for her beloved Una. They were already facing the ground, but there was more to it than that. "Arch your back and pelvis," Futatsu yelled over the boom of wind, "tilt your head back… Good! Now, bend your knees. Don't lock your muscles, keep them relaxed. Perfect!"

Una was no longer screaming, but Futatsu couldn't tell if it was because she was no longer frightened or if she simply couldn't muster enough air in her lungs to belt out another scream. At least the princess was listening to her instructions. Futatsu spread out her arms and bent her elbows to 90 degree angles and was pleased that Una followed suit. "Good," she hollered out, squeezing onto Una's hand. "You are doing very well."

"I have you with me." Una called back, struggling against the force of wind to grin.

"Are you ready for the next part?" Futatsu asked.

"What is that?"

"Fall for as long as you dare, and then fly!" Futatsu answered and released her hand. Una immediately began to scream her name as Futatsu quietly maneuvered her body to a position directly above the princess. The two only had a less than two minutes they reached the lake below, (it would feel like an eternity); and, from her current place above Una, Futatsu could take over should anything go wrong.

Una stopped screaming which was hopefully a good sign. Hopefully, Una had let go of her fear and was letting her body and mind relax. Hopefully, her instincts would kick in and at any moment she would fly off and avoid colliding with the water below; and yet, Princess Una continued to fall.

Futatsu was beginning to get worried. They were getting alarmingly close to the water now and if Una didn't fly soon then Futatsu would have to grab her. Fourty seconds to collision: nothing; thirty seconds: still nothing; twenty seconds… Futatsu reached out to the princess, planning to grab her and fly her to safety before she hit the water; however, just as Futatsu's finger tips touched the Royal Felidean's robe, Una's Ki sky rocketed and she flew across the face of the lake leaving waves in her wake.

Surprised, relieved, and now a little wet, Futatsu barely had time to react and stop herself from falling into the lake. She hovered just above water and watched the princess soar into up into the sky before floating down to her level. Princess Una crossed her arms, her ears bent back in what appeared to be agitation. "You let me go," she growled.

"That I did."

"Why did you do that?" Una screamed, clenching her fists, "I was so scared, I couldn't even see you! Why did you let me go?"

Futatsu grabbed the princess and pulled her into a hug. "I may have let you go," she whispered into Una's ear, "but I was always there." Una looked up, their eyes met and Futatsu's heart skipped a beat. "I will always be there for you, Princess Una."

"I know," she whispered back as their lips touched.

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Piccolo had taken the alien woman named Futatsu from Kami's Lookout and during that time had learned a few things about her. The name of her race was 'Aeridin' which was one of the three main members of the 'Triad Alliance'. She declined to mention the other two, stating that it did not matter. Piccolo, of course, disagreed, but chose not to press the issue any further; at least, for now.

Futatsu had no idea why their two races look so remarkably similar but rationalized that perhaps they simply evolved in similar ways; this did not, however, explain why the word 'Namek' in her language had such a negative meaning. A 'Namek', she said, was an Aeridin that had become corrupted. She then stated that the ancient texts were somewhat unclear and that the general interpretation was that the corruption was evil itself. Piccolo had his own theories and suspicions in that regard, but none that he cared to share.

It was some time beyond midnight and the entire world felt asleep, even the crickets had ceased to chirp hours ago. A cool gust of wind tugged at Piccolo's cape as he slipped out of his mediation and looked to the Aeridin sleeping below. She seemed to be dreaming peacefully for once.

On more than one occasion Piccolo had come out of his mediation to find her being plagued by one dream or another. She wasn't one to thrash about in her sleep, but he could clearly see the distress on her face. He had decided not to mention it, as it had yet to affect her training and it was none of his business; tonight, however, was a little different: One moment she had been sleeping peacefully and the next, she sat bolt upright with a sharp gasp.

Piccolo scoffed; it would figure that only when she wasn't having a nightmare that she would wake up as if she had! "_What's wrong now?_" He demanded.

"_Nothing_," Futatsu muttered. The long strands of her blue hair parted for her fingertips and fell lock by lock down across her slender shoulders, "_just_ _a dream_."

"_What sort of 'dream' has you sleeping peacefully but waking up like that?_"

"_Not all nightmares are violent, Piccolo_." She replied as quietly as before.

He was silent for a moment, mulling over her words and decided it was time to ask other questions. Her knowledge of Namekian had grown significantly and he felt confident that he could now get the answers he sought. "Tell me what happened to you."

She sighed, and stared down at her hands, "_Someone I cared deeply for was murdered. I avenged her._"

"_I see."_ The explanation wasn't as nearly as detailed as he would have liked. Piccolo decided to press on. "_How did you avenge her?_"

"_I killed the ones responsible_."

"_And, how did she die?_" He asked.

"_A Ki blast through the chest,_" she replied sullenly.

This woman, whomever she was, had been very important to Futatsu. He couldn't help but feel that he would have done the same for Gohan; after all, he had already given his life once for the kid. "_What was she like?_"

He was pleased to see a light smile spread across her lips, "_Her smile made my heart sing. Her laughter could clear the skies. She ruled with a firm and loving hand and always listened with an open heart._" That answer told him so much about the situation that he didn't know where to start. Futatsu didn't just care for this person, she had loved her. It was… romantic, not like the platonic feelings that he had for Gohan.

But, if she had been a ruler of some kind, why had Futatsu been punished for avenging her death? "_She was your… queen?_"

"_No._" She replied, "_She was the Empress of the Felidean Empire._"

"_I take it that the Felidean Empire is another member of the 'Triad Alliance',_" Piccolo guessed.

"_You are correct._"

"_Then, why were you punished?_"

"_I was accused of her murder as well as that of the others._" She explained, "_I could not prove my innocence._"

Piccolo finally understood, "_and that is why you are 'mostly guilty'._"

"_Yes._" She whispered, her voice soaked in grief and closed her eyes.

He sat floating above her, watching and processing all that he had just learned. "_There's more to it, isn't there?_" Piccolo asked eventually. She opened her eyes and focused her pale irises on him. "_What aren't you telling me, Futatsu?_"

Futatsu frowned at him as the color in her eyes darkened from lilac to violet and she stood up. "_I do not know what you mean, Piccolo._"

"_I think you do._" He replied, "_Now, tell me._"

"_I grow tired of this interrogation._" Futatsu spoke with a strangely calm tone.

"_The faster you answer my questions,_" Piccolo retorted, "_the more quickly we'll be done._"

"_The more I answer, the more questions you will have!_" She countered back.

He could tell that she was becoming agitated, good. Piccolo wanted to see how she'd react, if she would keep her cool and answer his questions or become aggressive. He crossed his arms and stared down is nose at her. "_Answer the question and we'll find out: What are you not telling me?_"

The woman defiantly met his gaze and stepped forwards with her fists clenched as her Ki began to rise, "_I told you already, there is nothing else of importance! Drop the matter now and stop harassing me!_"

"_Your eyes get darker when you're mad._"

The Aeridin froze, her cheeks darkened in an obvious blush as the color of her irises returned to their normal lilac. "_W-what did you just say?_"

"_Your eyes_," He repeated, still staring down at her, "_they get darker when you become angry. It's a tale-tell sign that you're about to attack. You should work on that._"

Futatsu threw up her arms, "la tro ah oiya?" She cried out and took off for sky. Piccolo had to pause for a moment to translate what she had said, 'why do I bother?' He smirked and flew off after her curious to see what the Aeridin was up to.

Futatsu climbed higher and higher into Earth's atmosphere with Piccolo right on her tail. She looked down at him only once during her upwards flight and maintained her speed. They pushed through to the clouds where the air was cooler and heavy with humidity. Futatsu stopped and stared at the ground below as if waiting for Piccolo to reach her. He did and hovered next to her, watching and waiting to see what she would do next.

The two remained there in silence for what felt like several minutes. A current of wind grabbed at Piccolo's cloak and tugged on it as a child would. His thoughts momentarily drifted to Gohan as he finally spoke. "Well_?_" He demanded, speaking with more agitation than he intended. Futatsu's head tilted slightly in recognition of his words as her hair whipped violently about her face. "_What now?_"

Futatsu dropped like a stone.


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: This chapter has a bit of violence and gore.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 6

"Oh really," Jatoba snarled. Imoni's smile faltered as she advanced toward him, her voice rising with every step. "A plan that you 'know I'm going to love' you say? We are stuck on a prison ship! What's to 'love' about that?"

Bean, a large and muscular Felidean male stood behind Jatoba and leered over the Saiyan's shead at him. Imoni tried to swallow the dry lump in his throat but it wouldn't go down. When he spoke, the lump caught on his words. "Y-you c-c-c-could…"

"W-we c-could do what, Imoni?" Bean mocked with his fangs bared, "Why don't you try speaking clearly for once?"

"Quiet!" Jatoba's tail whipped up, smacking Bean in the face, "let him talk!" Bean grimaced and touched his cheek where the tail had struck him. Behind him, Jatoba's two other companions snickered. He glared at them and they fell silent.

Imoni cleared his throat and tried again, "You're not stuck, miss," he said, "n-not if you take control."

"And how do you expect us to do that?" A feminine voice rang out. Salona, a fiery-haired Aeridin stared intently at her reflection in one of the many hibernation pods.

"I deactivated the alarms," Imoni replied, his confidence rising again, "and communications. You have the element of surprise and they can't call for backup. Plus there are a number of prisoners on this ship that'll support someone like you, Jatoba."

"And so, what you mean is: I get my own ship and an army?" Jatoba asked, her lips curling up into a smile. The very sight of her dimples sent Imoni's heart doing backflips in his chest. "You're right, I do love it!" She turned to the three standing behind her, "you heard him. Let's go have some fun!"

* * *

The soldier outside of the chamber rolled his eyes as the door slid open and the frail-looking Imoni stepped out. "What is it this time?" Imoni didn't reply and merely pointed inside. The soldier scoffed and stepped through the door, "The Major will hear about th-…" He stopped, staring face to face with a large, rotund blue-skinned alien.

"The Major will hear about what, exactly?" asked the monstrous Jerus. The soldier was much too frightened to move as Jerus's jaw opened and released a beam of Ki.

Jatoba stepped over the ashes, her tail rewrapping itself about her waist. "Well, I'm certain the Major heard that." Imoni stared down at the remains and his throat closed up. He knew that they were going to kill the soldier, but seeing it actually happen was still very terrifying for the scrawny male. "Come long, Imoni." Jatoba's sing-song voice called out, "there's still lots of fun to be had."

The sound of the explosion of Ki had indeed alerted several other guards to their escape, but the next group of guards fared no better. Bean took them out with remorseless ease. "Too easy," he grinned, baring his canines, "How is this supposed to be fun?"

"That's because you destroy your toys too quickly," Salona replied, her long green ears twitched. "Ah, more come. It's my turn now." There were only two guards this time. They immediately began firing off their weapons at the very site of the group. The fiery-haired Aeridin seemed to dance between the searing blasts completely untouched. With a single, graceful motion her foot connected with the face of a soldier, sending him flying into his partner. Salona stepped back, waiting for them to scramble back up and struck them down again. Imoni found it akin to pulling the legs off of a bug; and, compared to these four, the soldiers might as well have been bugs!

Shouts could be heard further down the hallway and Jatoba glared at the Aeridin. "Oh just kill them already!" Salona shrugged and snapped their necks as three more soldiers appeared from around the corner and began to fire. Jatoba silently stepped forwards, not even bothering to dodge the weapon's fire. It hit her armor, doing minimal damage. She grinned, and the soldiers, realizing their folly turned to run; but, it was far too late.

Jatoba seemed to phase out of sight, Imoni didn't see the attack but he heard the definite crunch of something breaking. As the soldier crumpled to the floor, the Saiyan woman reappeared now standing between the other two and their escape. She turned to face them and grinned. "Who's next?" The two screamed, "Two at a time? Well, if you say so!" Helmets cracked together, bones were snapped, and the cries of agony shook Imoni to his core.

The murderous four proceeded in this same pattern throughout the level, each one taking turns playing with their new-found 'toys' while Imoni hid behind them. The gang quickly got bored of their game, however, and wanted something else 'fun' to do. "You could always release the prisoners," Imoni timidly suggested, hating the words as they left his mouth. "I'll bet they'd be entertaining."

"Ah yes! My little 'army'," Jatoba snickered, "let's go and see what fun they can give us."

Imoni was certain that he could hack into all the required systems from the main engine room which was two floors up. He even knew of a service shaft that could take them directly there, but that proved to be far too boring for the group and they chose a more direct route by blowing a hole in the ceilings. "Careful," he moaned, "you don't want to blow a hole in the hull!"

"Shut up and get moving, small stuff!" Bean grabbed him by the collar and bounded through the holes to the correct level. He dropped Imoni with disgust, muttering 'weakling' while the rest took care of the opposition. The guards had gotten stronger weapons and some of them even could use Ki, but they were still too slow to be of any real concern for Jatoba and her gang.

The group took a moment to observe the damage that they had done before turning expectantly toward Imoni. The frail male pointed down the hallway of corpses. "It-it's d-down that way," he told them and nearly tripped on a fresh body. He maneuvered as quickly as to the engine room and discovered the doors locked shut. "I can get it open." Imoni told them turning to the pad next to the door.

An explosion knocked Imoni off of his feet and left a gaping hole in the door. "There, it's open." Jerus grinned, steam wafting from his deep blue mouth. Anger and fear rose up in Imoni's throat, Jerus had nearly hit him with that mouth beam and he was certain that the monstrous blue alien wouldn't have cared if he had. He looked to Jatoba to see if she even realized the danger that Jerus had nearly put him through but the Saiyan female's face remained passive. His heart sank.

Shots fired through the hole that Jerus had created and Imoni wished that they hadn't. If the Engineering crew had just hid, they might have lived for a little longer. "Ugh, annoying!" Jatoba rolled her eyes and looked to Bean and Salona who quickly bounded inside to take care of it. Imoni winced as he heard the crashes, explosions, and screams. Hopefully they didn't ruin any of the needed systems.

Imoni only dared to enter when he could no longer hear the sounds of battle. He paused to stare down at the body of a Felidean female named Seshi. She had been nice to him, and had even brought him spice liquor once when he wasn't feeling well. "Hurry up," snarled Jatoba from behind him. "We don't have time for you to get nostalgic!"

"R-right!" Imoni had to push the body of another engineer out of the way to reach the console. He couldn't help but shudder as blood gushed from the cadaver's mouth when it hit the floor. Imoni knew he was going to have nightmares over this. He began typing furiously, "It-it-it-t-t-t…."

"Just do it!" Bean growled.

"D-done," all around them they could hear the machines whirring down as the lights faded to black. "J-just g-give it a m-m-m-mo-mo-…" The Auxilary lights switched on.

"Is that all?" Jatoba asked impatiently.

"It's enough," Salona replied, her long pointed ears twitching, "I can hear the prisoners. They're already rioting."

"Perfect!" Jatoba kicked the body of Seshi out of the way. Imoni winced at the wet sound her body made. "Let me see!" He quickly pulled up a video feed of the main prison level. A mass of inmates in pale yellow tunics swarmed out of their cells like a nest of angry ants, attacking any guard or soldier that they could find. She let out a giggle of glee as one of the prisoners disappeared below the wave of the riot. "Let's go join the fun!"

Imoni wasn't keen on the idea of going down to the main prison level, but his beloved Jatoba had left no room for argument. Like before he followed behind the gang and watched as they ripped into the few soldiers still foolish enough to fight back. A scream pierced his psyche and sent a shiver down his spine. The memories of today were going to haunt him for the rest of his days. For a brief moment he wondered if he had done the right thing by setting Jatoba and her cohorts free. Yes! It had to be the right thing, he couldn't let himself thing otherwise.

They made it down to the Main prison level with incredible ease but to Jatoba's obvious dissatisfaction, all the soldiers were already dead; however, she quickly spotted another way to amuse herself. The Aranean female let out a screech as a ray of energy blasted through her chest cavity. As the prison level erupted once again into chaos she glanced to her comrades, they already knew what to do.

Imoni pressed his small-framed body against the wall and watched as the fearsome foursome sought out and slaughtered each and every Aranean they could find. This is a good thing, he told himself, Araneans were a disgusting, ravenous race and most of them were just mindless drones hatched to serve the will of their hijal parent! But, he knew deep down that none of the Araneans on the ship were drones.

As the last of the spider-like people fell to the ground, Jatoba hovered over the crowd her dark grey eyes scanning the mass of shouting inmates. When they failed to quiet down, she pouted and looked to Jerus. His voice rose above them all, reverberating on the walls. "Who else wants to die today?" The entire level fell silent.

"Ah, much better," Jatoba grinned, "now that we've disposed of the vermin we can talk." Imoni knew that what she really meant was, 'I can talk, you can listen,' hopefully the rest of the inmates would realize this. She grinned, "This ship will soon be… ours; and, once it is, just think of what we – all of us – can do! Revenge: Many of you have been imprisoned unjustly by that massive machine that calls itself 'The Triad Alliance'. Power: The upper houses have always kept it just out of your reach; but, if you follow us, you can have it all!"

"Why would we follow you?" Someone in the crowd cried out, "You're nothing but a murderer!"

Jatoba raised a finger, "I have but one reason," She replied and fired off a ray of Ki that caught the protester by his throat, "because if you don't, you die. Now, are there any more questions?" Silence answered her, "Good. Now, go out and dispose of the rest of those stupid guards. If you find any other… bugs, let me know."

* * *

The inmates had quickly done as their new leader requested. They fanned out onto all the levels, searching out any and all soldiers that remained until one of them discovered a dying Aranean male lying near a pile of dismembered guards. Jatoba and her gang were quick to investigate. The spider weakly his head to face the killer of his people, his multiple eyes focused on her dark grey ones. She scoffed, glancing over her shoulder to Imoni.

The frail Felidean quickly turned to a wall console to answer Jatoba's unspoken question, "D'arch'n," he explained, "Imprisoned for murdering his hijal mate after he killed their wife."

"Why wasn't he with the other inmates?" Salona asked.

Imoni scanned the data and replied, "his hjjal was the head of Audeax Secondus." In other words it was a very powerful Aranean within the Triad Alliance. "Th-there was a separate level for political prisoners."

"Really," Jatoba seethed, "and just how many more 'political prisoners' were there?"

"Two others," Imoni replied.

"Who were they?" Jatoba asked, watching D'arch'n with a bored expression.

"Margi Ombay and Arkida Futatsu."

"Arkida?" Salona asked, "As in, House Arkida?"

Imoni nodded, and then remembered that the four had already been in hibernation the day that awful day, "She murdered Empress Una and her consort Prince Zwei, among others." He replied with his hears bent back and pressed against his scalp. Everyone had loved the empress, even Bean hissed at the thought.

"Really?" Jatoba asked, "I like her already."

Imoni and Bean stared at her in shock, "I-it i-i-i-is rumored that she thought up th-the plan to capture you."

"Hrm… in that case, let's kill her too." D'arch'n's mandibles clicked in laughter and in one graceful motion Jatoba had his head pinned between the floor and her foot. "What's so funny, bug?" Despite his predicament, he continued to laugh and she pressed harder. "Speak up, we can't hear that clattering you call 'talking'!"

"You are…" He clicked, still laughing, "…too late!"

"What do you mean?" Jatoba increased the pressure.

"You… shall not find them!" He replied through strained clicks of his mandibles, "They have escaped… I am sure of it!" D'arch'n began to laugh again and Jatoba's lip curled in disgust. With a seemingly simple twitch of her foot, the Aranean's head caved in.

She flicked her boot to rid of the spider's dripping remains and looked Imoni. "Find her, now."


	7. Chapter 7

A special thanks to Wulfia, Seru, Aven and everyone else who helped me with this chapter.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 07

When he posed the question to King Kai, all the deity could do was laugh as if Kami had just told the 'ultimate' joke. His laughter had made Kami fear the worst; and then, when he was able to breathe again, King Kai had said, "I'll get back to you on that." This had happened several days ago and Kami was no closer to the answers he sought and the old Namek was beginning to get impatient. Did King Kai not possess the knowledge of the universe? Why was it taking so long to answer to such a simple question? And yet, Kami knew that the answer would not be an easy one.

Thankfully, Piccolo had yet to demand the same answer that he was still trying to seek; but, that was likely because he was far more interested in his personal training to really bother with anything else. It still amused him that Piccolo had even thought to take Futatsu with him as if keeping her away from the Lookout would limit his interactions with Kami, but opposite was true.

~I'm back.~ The familiar voice invaded his thoughts and the old guardian clutched his chest.

~King Kai!~ He replied, ~What took you so long?~

~I had to sort through the information.~

~But, a whole week?~ Kami demanded.

~It was a lot of information.~ King Kai replied. ~We should include Piccolo on this as well, I don't want to have to explain this more than once.~

Kami sighed but knew that he was right, ~Very well.~ He expected King Kai to immediately pull Piccolo into the telepathic conversation but there was a strange pause.

~Uh, Piccolo? Am I… interrupting something?~ King Kai was answered by a string of angry profanities which only made the ancient deity laugh.

* * *

"Damn woman!" Piccolo shouted the rapidly descending form of Futatsu. She was freefalling and he knew that any moment she would begin flying again; and yet, there was a small chance, a minute possibility that she was truly falling. "Feh! I should just let you die!" He was already soaring after her.

Futatsu opened her eyes, her light violet – no, lilac – eyes and her scowl made him physically ill, as if he was about to spit up a rotten egg. With a simple twist of her body, she flipped her back to him and faced the fast approaching ground. So maybe it was a free-fall, but Piccolo wanted to see what she was up to. He sped up until he was right next to her and matched her speed and was amused by her look of shock by his sudden appearance next to her. Futatsu's frown melted away into a welcoming smile and she offered her hands to him. The warmth of her smile stole away the sickening feeling and replaced it with something new. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he reached out to her with a careful hand.

His eyes were met with bright, blinding flashes of color and the all too familiar stench of ozone. "Vesk!" Piccolo screamed and stopped in the air. A trick, it had only been another one of her stupid tricks; but, this time, he had fell for it like some foolhardy idiot! He covered his eyes, trying to rub out the white blindness that his supposed 'student' had inflicted on him. He spat out another Namekian curse as he felt her Ki skyrocket. She was preparing an attack!

Piccolo felt Ki explode where he had been floating seconds before. Yet another weighted cape destroyed, he was getting tired of materializing them. The white haze over his eyes had not completely faded away, but he could see just enough to make out her form against the backdrop of the ground below. He felt unbalanced, tottered between rage and amusement. Futatsu had manipulated him right into an attack; her tactics were almost impressive… almost. Now he'd show her just how a real tactician fought!

He raised one elbow and swung his body about to gain corkscrew momentum as he dropped right atop of her. The elbow jammed right between her shoulder blades and sent her crashing down to Earth creating a cloud of debris. Piccolo wasn't going to wait for the dust to settle. He placed one hand in front of the other, "Masenko ha!" A quick blast of Ki fired into the cloud which exploded unseen within its haze and threw more dirt into the air.

She was still somewhere within the cloud, he could feel her there. Her Ki shimmered and grew against his senses and he waited to see exactly what she might do next; after all, he was training her, wasn't he? The dirt finally cleared enough for him to see his 'student' standing within her self-made crater. The cloth of her white robes were singed and tattered about her right shoulder. So, she hadn't fully escaped the attack. Piccolo noted the three silvery blue razor-sharp looking disks that floated about her and smirked, he had seen a similar tactic from Krillin. This would be interesting.

The three blades shot towards toward him and he immediately destroyed one with his eye lasers, but the remaining two split by three and continued on their path. Piccolo quickly dodged the six, knowing that if they were anything like the Destructo Disk then they could slice through nearly anything. They circled back, flying at him again. He dodged them a second time, a third and then a fourth before destroying another. The remaining five split again.

Fifteen disks whirled around Piccolo like a storm. They cut at his Gi and some even grazed his skin. He now understood the vicious science behind the attack: Each disk destroyed spurred the remainder to divide and with each new division the blades became smaller, faster, and ultimately harder to dodge. If he was going to get out of the attack, he would have to get rid of them all at once. At least they were easy to destroy!

Usually, this particular technique required immense amounts of concentration and energy to deploy; but, luckily, Piccolo didn't need too much Ki in this instance. He dodged and weaved through the sharp circles as his own form began to glow and crackle with energy. Just a little bit more… a blade passed by his cheek and he felt something warm and wet trickle down to his chin.

Now! The blast stemmed from Piccolo in all directions, enveloping the blades and destroying them before they could divide again. When the energy had cleared, all that was left of Futatsu's attack were wisps of smoke. The Hyper Explosive Demon Wave had worked perfectly, but Futatsu was no longer in the crater.

Piccolo immediately turned and caught Futatsu's fist with his own. Their eyes met briefly as he delivered three quick punches to her sternum and a kick for good measure. She was able to deflect the last punch and block the kick completely; but, it wasn't good enough! Piccolo sneered down into her determined pale eyes and tripled the intensity of his attacks.

Futatsu immediately went on the defensive: blocking, dodging, and deflecting most of the hits. She was much better at avoiding attacks than delivering them. Aside from a few basic Ki attacks, it seemed as if most of her tactics were designed to hinder her opponent in some way. No, that couldn't be right! The blades were proof that she could do more, but how much more?

"_You…_" punch, "_are…_" kick, "_still…_" punch, "_holding…_" punch, "_BACK_!" Piccolo twisted into a roundhouse, kicking her splashing into the nearby lake. He flew higher into the sky and scowled down at the water as he waited for Futatsu to resurface. Piccolo wasn't especially angry with her, just disappointed. If he was going to help her to improve, he needed to see Futatsu at her best which meant a 'no holds barred' battle; but, for some reason she was… reluctant. He was going to have to find a way around that, even if it meant getting her to hate him.

The ripples faded away and the lake became still, but Futatsu had yet to reappear but, he wasn't worried. Namekians could hold their breath far longer than that of a normal human, and so it was safe to assume that the same was true for Aeridins. "_I know you're still down there_," he called out, knowing that she could hear him. "_Stop playing around. Come on out and give me a real fight for once!_" He waited a few moments longer, "_Or are you too afraid_?" still, nothing.

Futatsu was still down there, he knew she was! He could still feel her Ki somewhere deep within the water. What if she was seriously hurt? No, Piccolo was confident that she could take more punishment than what he was actually dealing out. It had to be something else and yet, there was a slight pang of doubt that immediately transformed into impatience. "_Fut-!_"

The water gushed upward like a twisting column with Futatsu at its core, shooting straight for Piccolo. It continued to move with her, solidified by her Ki and the two collided into him swallowing him up within its wave of water. He found himself floating within a globe of water, its round surface crackling with a silvery blue energy that stemmed from Futatsu's hands. He looked to her face and felt a sense of pride: she was learning; but wait, what… the water within the globe exploded, sending a shockwave through his entire body.

He landed with a splashing thud onto the lake's shore, his stomach flip-flopping in distress. Piccolo turned to heaved up a mouthful of bile-scented water, the stench of which made him feel even worse. A strong force smashed into the back of his skull, crushing his nose right into his own watery vomit, adding violet blood to the mix. A split second later, Futatsu's heal struck the puddle where Piccolo's face had once been.

Her arm shot up just in time to deflect Piccolo's kick and she flew upwards and fired off a blast of Ki. He easily avoided the attack and jumped up into the sky just above the lake. "_Good!_" Piccolo called out and swung his arms apart, charging a sphere of energy in each hand. "_But not good enough!_ Scatter shot!" He flung his arms toward her, launching a volley of Ki blasts.

The barrage of volatile energy struck Futatsu head on, dispelling nothing more than an after image. Piccolo grinned and looked up to his right where the true Futatsu floated, breathing heavily. "_Tired already_?" He couldn't help but taunt. Futatsu merely smiled in reply as a pillar of energy rocketed out from the water and collided with his back.

His back screamed with searing pain and as he heard Futatsu cry out in Aeridi: "Itia _time_!"

"Era! Era!" Someone else replied; no, wait, that was… Futatsu?

Piccolo flipped over in the air to see double. "_No worries,"_ One Futatsu said to the other, "_let_ sytul azi _this._"

"_Yes_!" The second agreed, and the two charged.

A valiant effort! He had never expected for there to be a clone preparing an attack on the side lines. Piccolo mentally jotted down the tactic for later use and turned his attention to fighting against the twins. Fighting multiple opponents was nothing new to him. Piccolo had often trained by sparing with his own clones and one Futatsu couldn't hold a candle to that, let alone two.

He jammed his elbow into the throat of one while Piccolo's foot connected with the stomach of the other. The first Futatsu gasped but continued with her physical assault while her counterpart darted away, and began charging a wispy ball of blue energy. Good, keep the opponent on their toes. Don't let them get a moment's rest! The sphere soared right at him but at the last moment Piccolo dragged the first right into the attack. It exploded against her back as he blurred away.

"Era! Era!" The second one called to the first in a distracted tone as she looked to the left and then to the right.

"Skee! Tatsu, _remind me: Why did we_ k'zaah _to this_?" The first asked while she too scanned the area.

"_I do not_ d'stad, Fu," the second snapped, "_you_ toya _to say 'no' to that Namek_!"

Piccolo held back a snort. The bickering was almost… cute; but, it also meant that she, (or rather, they), had become frazzled. He glanced to the one floating next to him, a Namek identical to him in virtually every detail. His clone nodded in return and the two dropped down onto their respective opponents. The two swiftly took control of the battle, bearing down on each version of Futatsu like the shadow of death. There was no inkling of a chance for either woman to reciprocate any of the attacks. Piccolo continued with the brutal physical attacks until he was satisfied that she fully understood just how outclassed she truly was.

One grabbed his Futatsu by what remained of her collar and flung her towards her counterpart. The second Piccolo timed it just right to kick the other Futatsu right into the path of the first. He, both of him, was pleased to see that the resulting collision had the desired effect: the two women were now one. Piccolo had won the spar, but the Namek was not finished.

A clone dropped behind the dazed Futatsu, wrapped his arms about her chest and held her in place. She awoke from her stupor, realized her peril and struggled against him only have the air squeezed out of her lungs as Piccolo tightened his grip. "_Keep it up,_" his lips brushed against her ear as he spoke. "_I can squeeze even tighter._" Futatsu's cheeks darkened as she turned her head and strained to look at him. Piccolo grinned back with his fangs bared, and tightened his grip to emphasize his point. She gasped and her body fell limp within his arms. Satisfied, he allowed her to breathe again.

The other Piccolo cleared his throat. He floated in front of her, arms crossed as he waited to be acknowledged. She glared at him and that rotten egg feeling in the pit of his stomach returned. He mentally forced it back and looked her over. Her clothes were in tatters and body was bruised and bloodied. Piccolo admitted that he might have gone a little overboard with that final beating.

He sighed and pulled out a senzu bean that had been hidden in his belt for emergencies and held it up to her mouth. "_Eat it_." The Namek ordered, but the Aeridin stubbornly turned her head away. Piccolo grabbed her chin and forced her to face him again, "_I said eat it_!" Futatsu kept her jaw clenched shut in outright defiance, looking down at the bean in disgust. He growled, keeping the mystical legume close to her mouth. "_I know you don't know normally eat,_" he explained, "_Neither do I, but this is will return your energy to you._"

She didn't entirely believe him, he could see it in her eyes that were already taking on a darker shade of violet; but, she finally opened her mouth and Piccolo slipped the bean in between her soft lips. Mere moments after she swallowed the thing Futatsu looked revitalized and Piccolo felt a little better. A fact he hid well with a scowl and crossed arms.

Piccolo began to mentally go over each detail of the fight, looking for strengths and weak points in her particular style. He was still secretly seething about how she had gotten him by surprise with her 'Colorworks' attack: not because it had actually worked, but because of how vulnerable she had made him feel moments before with a mere expression! Futatsu had used the distraction well to charge an attack that—judging from the damage to his cape—was a slightly decent attack.

His eyes drifted to her exposed shoulder. The white cloth was singed brown and stained purple. The 'Masenko' attack had winged her which meant one of two things: Either she had been quick enough to avoid most of the attack but not fast enough to avoid it all together or he had bad aim. He was opting for the former.

And then, there were those accursed blades! It had put a unique spin on the Destructo Disc which had forced Piccolo to rethink how he was handling the spar. An opponent couldn't just destroy the blades one at a time, and the more times they divided, the harder they were to avoid. He would have to ask her later what exactly the name of that specific technique. It had proven that she had great potential, but it also meant that she had been holding back.

Piccolo's stomach felt queasy when he thought of the water-based attack she had implemented. It had felt as if that explosion had gone through every cell of his body. He wondered just how far that attack could be taken and guessed that she had been holding back then as well; but, really, it had all been one big distraction to keep him focused one clone while the other prepared an even larger attack from the safety of the water.

Overall, it was clear to him exactly what her strengths and weaknesses were. Strategy and technique weren't the problem, it was strength and speed. "_You're too slow_," Piccolo began, "_you're weak, your attacks are obvious, and your techniques are boring, predictable!_" He held out his hand towards a nearby plateau and fired a single blast. Cracks spread out from the resulting hole until the plateau crumbled in upon itself.

Futatsu's body stiffened within his clone's arms and he tightened his squeeze to keep her secure. Her skin felt soft, not hard and calloused like him. He breathed in, getting a lung full of her scent. Even wet, her hair smelled like a distant field of flowers. It made his head swim and his heart pound with an odd, double-time beat. No, that wasn't just his heart he heard, Futatsu's heart was beating fast too. Damn! That meant that she could hear his too, he had to calm down. What was wrong with him?

"_When you can do that without breaking a bead of sweat on that…_" beautiful, (damn!),_ "…pathetic,_ _blue-haired head of yours, then we'll talk."_ He crunched up his nose, feigning disgust, "_you make a lame excuse for a Namek_." Piccolo didn't even flinch as he deflected her kick and blocked the knee of her other leg and moved in close until they were practically nose-to-nose. "_They're dark again_," he whispered, the sound of his heart – no, both of their hearts – pounded loudly in his head like the rhythm of some ancient song. Piccolo leaned in a little closer.

~Uh, Piccolo?~ A nasally voice erupted in his mind, ~Am I… interrupting something?~

Wait, what was going on? Piccolo's mind cleared and his eyes refocused. For a split second he saw nothing but lilac. He reeled back in shock, ~Son of a Goatf-…~

~Bwa! Hahahaha!~

He looked to Futatsu and watched in horror as the blush spread further across her cheeks. Piccolo quickly turned his back to her, ~Godda-…~

~Oh, hohohoho!~

Piccolo snarled and shook his fist at the sky, ~What the hell do you want!?~


	8. Chapter 8

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 08

* * *

It had been over a month since the destruction of the Makyo Star and Garlic Junior's defeat, a month since Gohan had even been allowed out of the house without the hawk-like gaze of his mother, Chi-Chi. Outside from her and the occasional visit from Icarus, the most Gohan had seen was the inside of various books. He missed everyone deeply, Piccolo especially.

The big green man seemed to be busy as of late. For the past week Gohan had felt Piccolo's Ki along with that of someone else. For a while he had thought that it was Yamcha because it was around that same level, but why would Yamcha hang out with Piccolo? The two barely talked as it was. It had to be someone else, someone new. He desperately wanted to find out to whom this new power belonged to but he didn't want to just intrude and so, he waited.

His chance finally came early one morning before the sun even began to peak over the horizon. Gohan felt Piccolo and the unknown power level duking it out. The fight lasted for only a few minutes before it just stopped; and then, he felt Piccolo leaving the area alone. He slipped out of bed and dressed into his gi, careful not to make any noise.

The window to his room opened silently and he climbed outside, pleased to find that Icarus was already waiting for him. Gohan smiled at the young, violet dragon and rubbed his snout. "Let's go visit Piccolo," he whispered and climbed onto the dragon's back. Icarus spread his tiny wings and began to flap them vigorously. He hovered off of the ground for a moment before flying away, leaving the Son House behind.

It felt like an eternity before the two could even spot Piccolo who appeared as a silhouette against the rising sun and pinkish-orange tinted clouds with his familiar cape flapping against the wind. Even at a distance he could tell that Piccolo was upset over something which only strengthened Gohan's desire to see him. "Mister Piccolo!"

* * *

~What the hell do you want!?~

~Oh, nothing much,~ King Kai replied, ~a good meal, a few laughs, to drive…~

~King Kai has information about Miss Futatsu's race.~ Kami interrupted.

~And it's a doozy,~ King Kai added, ~do you want me to add her in?~

"No!" Piccolo shouted aloud. He froze and looked over his shoulder to where his clone still held her in place. She stared at him in what he assumed was confusion with a faint blush painted across her cheeks. He quickly looked away, ~I mean, not yet.~ His clone released her and she let out a yelp as she splashed into the drink below.

By the time she had resurfaced, the two Nameks had refused into one. "_Stay here_!" Piccolo ordered as he sped off to put some distance between the Aeridin and himself. He had needed to get away from her and clear his head. He needed to understand what had nearly happened. Had he really tried to…? Piccolo couldn't even think about it.

He stopped and hovered in the air when he felt that he was far enough away from her. ~All right,~ Piccolo crossed his arms, ~tell me.~

~Well…~ King Kai paused, ~you may want to sit down for this.~

~Just get on with it!~

~Don't say I didn't warn you. Aeridins are… they're… well…~ King Kai sighed.~Aeridins and Namekians are technically the same race.~

Piccolo nearly fell out of the sky. ~What?~ He and Kami both cried out simultaneously.

~What do you mean 'the same race'?~ Piccolo demanded as soon as he regained his aerial balance, ~She looks nothing like a Namek! She looks more like a… a…~

~A woman,~ King Kai finished, ~yes.~

~But… there are no female Nameks!~ Piccolo argued. ~We're asexual.~

~There are no male Aeridins either,~ King Kai countered, ~and you're not asexual, you're 'heterogamic'.~ Piccolo could only hazard to guess the meaning of the word and felt disinclined to ask; the old deity, however, went on to say. ~It basically means that thing between your legs isn't just for pissing.~

Kami finally spoke, ~King Kai, why didn't you tell us about this earlier?~

Exactly! ~Don't you think this is information we needed?~ Piccolo added in.

~Hey, it isn't my job to just volunteer information for you.~ King Kai replied sternly, ~I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to. I'm the Lord of the Worlds, not your personal information desk.~

~Yes, of course.~ Kami relented, ~you're right, but… why didn't the other Nameks know about the Aeridin?~ Piccolo wanted to know the answer to this as well. He had learned a lot of things about his people through his fusion with Nail, but this was most definitely not one of them.

~It's likely that Guru chose not to tell them, and that's if he even knew about them. It's been a few thousand years since the two have seen each other.~

~What exactly happened?~ Kami asked, ~why did the two separate?~

~The drought on Namek wasn't the first disaster the planet faced. There was an epidemic, a virus, that…~ King Kai paused, ~…that affected each side a little differently. The females could no longer reproduce alone, and the males could no longer father any daughters. Essentially, the female population began to slowly die out.~

Piccolo felt a distant sense of panic and realized that it came from Kami, ~this virus is it still…~

~No, it died out long ago.~

~Some of them must have survived,~ Piccolo said, ~It's the only way to explain Futatsu.~

~A few unaffected females left the planet to find a new place to live. They settled on Planet Aerid, thus the name Aeridin.~

~Why didn't any Nameks go with them?~

~It was difficult to tell which were affected and which were not. Each female that wanted to go had to produce one daughter before they were allowed to leave.~

Piccolo felt worse than he did after Futatu's watery attack. Nameks: Aeridins were basically 'female' Nameks! They were two parts, living their lives for only King Kai knew how long, never knowing that there was another half to their race. Piccolo realized that deep down he already had a suspicion about their two races. There was a logical reason why ancient Aeridi sounded like Namekian, it really was Namekian; but, then why did the word 'Namek' mean 'demon'? The question left a sour taste in his mouth.

And yet, Piccolo suppressed a laugh of relief, there was more: It meant that he didn't have 'feelings' for her at all. There was no real attraction there, it was all just hormones: stupid, useless, ancient hormones! Now that he knew what was really going on, he could guard himself against it and prevent it from ever happening again. If he had known this before, it wouldn't have even happened in the first place!

~So, exactly why does 'Namek' mean 'demon' in their language?~ Piccolo demanded.

~It literally means 'corrupted one' but it did not always mean that.~ King Kai replied, ~The Aeridins kept an oral history. It wasn't until about a thousand years ago that they bothered to write it down. By that time the meanings of certain words had changed. 'Namek' was no longer the ancient name for their people, but a synonym for the virus, or corruption, that they had escaped.~

~Feh! Just great, and none of them actually know this?~

~Most don't even believe that Nameks exist.~ King Kai replied. ~To them, you're just the boogey man.~ He sniffed, ~boogey man, booger man! Hahaha!~

~It's not funny!~

King Kai laughed a bit harder, stopped and replied seriously, ~Right, right, it's 'snot' funny.~ He burst into giggles again, ~get it? Snot funny!~

Piccolo groaned at the joke and then noticed a familiar Ki signature heading his way, Gohan! He concentrated, materializing a new gi, turban and weighted cape. There, much better. "Mister Piccolo!" The boy's joyous voice rang out across the distance between them. He was riding on the back of his Haiya Dragon friend, Icarus. As they neared, Gohan leapt off and flew the rest of the way.

~Miss Futatsu must be informed of this.~ Kami muttered after King Kai's laughter had died away. ~She has a right to know.~

Piccolo greeted him with a casual ruffling of his scruffy hair. "Hey there, kid," he said gently while still listening to his telepathic conference call.

~I could tell her if you'd like.~ King Kai volunteered while Gohan began talking again, "I thought maybe we could spar for a-…"

"No way!" Piccolo shouted and then remembered Gohan. "That wasn't meant for you," he told the boy and thought the situation over. He couldn't trust King Kai to tell her, he would make some stupid, perverted joke about the whole damned thing. Letting Kami tell her sounded just as bad: he didn't need to hide behind that old fart, nor did he want Kami finding about what had almost happened. ~I'll tell her.~

~Piccolo, are you sure of this?~ Kami asked, ~in light of the circumstances…~

~I said I'll tell her, now drop it!~ He just had to figure out how.

"Uh, Piccolo, is everything ok?"

"No, not exactly," he admitted while he looked back to the sky. ~Are we done here?~

~Well, I could tell you more about their culture.~ King Kai replied, ~like: never wave at an Aeridin, that's an insult.~

~If I need to know anything else I'll just ask.~ Piccolo replied before he was bombarded with more useless information.

~If you say so.~ King Kai replied with a sing-song tone that sent a chill through his antennae.

As soon as the telepathic link was broken, Piccolo turned his attentions back to Gohan. He took a moment to search the boy's warm, black eyes for an answer to his problem but found none and sighed. He didn't even know where to start. "A lot's happened since we've last talked, Gohan. I…" Piccolo huffed, pulling his legs up so that he was floating into a lotus position. For some reason, that always helped him think, usually. "I found this… woman… she looks like a Namek; but, she isn't one! Or so I thought, until now."

Gohan blinked, "So, it's a Namek that looks like a girl?"

"It's a little more than that." Piccolo closed his eyes, "She doesn't just 'look' like a female."

Gohan's nose scrunched up and his eyebrows knitted together, "But, Dende said there were no female Nameks."

Piccolo closed his eyes again and rubbed the back of his neck, "The way King Kai explained it we're…" He paused to remember the word and looked to Gohan to see if he'd recognize it. "hetero… 'heterogamic'."

The boy's eyes lit up and for once Piccolo was relieved that Goku's wife had pushed him so hard to study. "Oh, I think I get it now! Does she know?"

"No. Not yet. I just found out myself." And he had a hard enough time explaining it to Gohan. He crossed his arms again and heaved a sigh, "I don't know how I'm going to tell her." He didn't want to tell her, he wasn't even sure he could be around her anymore.

"Do you want me to help?"

"What?" Piccolo looked to Gohan again. "Help?"

"Sure," Gohan grinned, "Maybe I can help her understand."

He could have Gohan tell her. That way, he didn't have to nor did he have to deal with King Kai or Kami! But, no, it couldn't work. He had never bothered to teach Futatsu any real Japanese and she had been almost angelic in her patience on the subject. "She doesn't know the language." He shook his head, "Only some bastardized version of Namekian and some other weird language."

"Oh…" Gohan stared at the distant ground.

For a short while, the only sound between the two was that of Piccolo's cape fluttering in the wind and the flapping of Icarus's wings. Finally, the Namek spoke, "I suppose that it's worth a try."

"Great! Let's go!"


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to Wulfeh/Shirepower and Seru/Kaelin Void Shadow

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 09

Futatsu felt Piccolo's cold, black eyes bore into her like a beetle to wood. "_You're too slow, you're weak, your attacks are obvious and your techniques are boring, predictable!_" Obvious, boring: Such a lie! She had surprised him more than once, the very look on his face when the Fractal Blades multiplied was enough to solidify that knowledge.

Piccolo destroyed a mass of rock with a single shot. She winced and the one holding her squeezed her again. Futatsu could feel his hot breath against her ear and the back of her neck. It caused a strange tingling sensation to shoot up from the base of her back. Her pulse raced and so did his, although she couldn't fathom why.

"_When you can do that without breaking a bead of sweat on that…_" His eye twitched, "_…pathetic, blue-haired head of yours, then we'll talk_." Piccolo's face twisted, "_You make a lame excuse for a Namek._"

Her blood boiled, flowing like rumbling magma through her veins. A Namek, a Namek!? How dare he? Futatsu kicked at him, but Piccolo moved into the attack, simply pushing her legs apart. "_They're dark again,_" she felt enveloped in his musky scent of sweat and blood. It felt as if something was trying to beat its way out of her chest. Futatsu hadn't felt this way since…

The body of both Nameks went rigid and the one before her jumped back with a look Futatsu could only describe as absolute terror. The magma reached her face, burning her cheeks as she realized what the two had nearly done. Piccolo turned his back to her and shook his fist at passing cloud. He growled and then shouted out, "No!" It was a word that, in Aeridi, meant 'tree'.

Piccolo looked back at her and then away again while his clone released her a little too quickly. The cold water extinguished the remaining heat from her cheeks but she still angry, embarrassed, and all together confused. "_Stay here_!" She heard him yell before she could even take her first breath!

She watched his form grow smaller in the early morning sky, dumbfounded. "_Piccolo, you idiot!_" Futatsu screamed as soon as she had found her voice, "_You… you… Spawn of Pamue!_ _Only she could spit out an egg as crazy as you!_"

A quick self-inspection revealed that Piccolo had been telling the truth about the awful tasting bean. Her wounds were healed although she was in dire need of a new set of clothing. She concentrated a moment, materializing a form fitting tunic with leggings. Futatsu momentarily chastised herself for not thinking of them sooner, as they allowed for more maneuverability than her usual robes.

Now calm, Futatsu was able to think a little more clearly she recounted the events that had occurred before Piccolo abandoned her and found that she was at a loss. She couldn't begin to explain his actions or even describe how she had felt through it all. It was unsettling, worrisome, confusing and she quickly turned her attention to other thoughts.

At least Piccolo's abrupt departure meant that she would finally have some time alone to herself, which was all she had really wanted to begin with. Futatsu tied her long hair into a braid and began to walk to the mountains.

* * *

Chi-Chi was so proud of her baby. For the past month, he had been the perfect little boy: Gohan had studied hard, helped his mother with the chores, and not once did he ask to visit Krillin, Master Roshi, or – thankfully – that Piccolo. He was the worst of them all! A shiver ran down her spine at the very thought of the giant green man and all the memories that came with him. King Piccolo had caused so much destruction and death and his son, Piccolo Junior, had nearly killed the love of her life; and now, that demon—no, alien—was somehow one of her son's favorite people.

She scoffed and cracked another egg into her frying pan. Chi-Chi was making Gohan a large breakfast as a reward for all his hard work and good behavior: steamed rice, miso soup, and a smorgasbord of side dishes including broiled fish, omelets, and so on. She set the pile of food onto the table and smiled, everything was perfect. Now, all she had to do was wake up her baby boy. She had let him sleep in so she could finish the surprise.

"Gohan," Chi-Chi called out, "sweetie, it's time to get up!" She waited for the tell-tale signs of his flopping out of bed but heard nothing. "Gohan, I've got a surprise for you!" She waited again, still nothing. "Gohan, are you there?" Silence, answered her.

Each step brought with it a deeper sense of dread. Chi-Chi tried to reassure herself that Gohan was still in his room, she would open the door and he would be curled up in his bed asleep. The door to her son's room let out a low moan as she pulled it open and peered inside. Aside from the gentle swaying of the window curtains, the room was still. Gohan was nowhere to be found.

Dread immediately transformed into rage, "GOHAN!" Chi-Chi whirled about on the heel of her foot nearly breaking Gohan's door off its hinges as she slammed it shut. He was with that Piccolo again, she just knew it! Well, she wasn't just going to sit by and wait for his return. No, this time she would find her son and she would drag him back home!

Chi-Chi grabbed her capsule case and pulled it open and her spirits crashed back down to earth, the case was empty. She slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs and recalled what had happened to her last vehicle. It had been destroyed over a month ago when, as Gohan explained it, Garlic Jr. released the Black Water Mist onto the world.

To this day Chi-Chi still couldn't remember everything that had happened on that nightmare of a day, had she really tried to kill her son? Her heart ached and she clutched the cloth covering her chest. No, she would never do anything to hurt him. Not Gohan, not her baby boy!

Chi-Chi shut the empty capsule case and set it on the kitchen table. She realized that even if she still had a vehicle left that looking for Gohan would be fruitless. With a son who could fly at will, he could be anywhere on Earth. The mother had only one option left to her. She stood up and called Kame House.

"Nope, he's not here, sorry." Master Roshi told her.

"Well, is he with Krillin?" Chi-Chi asked staring down at her fingers, "I know they haven't seen each other in a while and-…"

"Krillin? Why, he's out on a date with Maron!" Master Roshi let out a loathsome chuckle, "Oh, what I'd give to be in his shoes right now!"

"Ugh!" Every time she spoke with the old freak he just had to say something perverted. "Well if you see Gohan, you tell him that he is to come straight home, got it?"

Chi-Chi barely waited for a confirmation before she slammed down the phone and picked it up again to dial yet another number. "Thank you for calling Capsule Corp," a cheerful voice answered, "how may I direct your call?"

"I need to talk to Bulma Briefs right now!" Chi-Chi nearly screamed.

The voice at the other end remained unraveled. "May I ask who is calling?"

"Son Chi-Chi!"

"All right, please hold!" The voice immediately switched to classy elevator music.

Chi-Chi moaned and sat back down at the table, twirling the phone's cord in her fingers. A minute passed by, two minutes, and then five before the music cut away. "This is," The new voice yawned, "Bulma Briefs."

"WHERE'S MY SON?"

"Woah, what? Who needs coffee when they've got you? Calm down Chi-Chi and tell me what's going on."

The mother sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "My Son, Gohan, is missing." She said slowly, "he's not here, and he's not at Kame House. Is he visiting you?"

"Gohan? I haven't seen him ages." Bulma replied, "Maybe he went out exploring with that dragon friend of his?"

"Yes," Chi-Chi mumbled, "maybe." If Gohan was simply exploring, he would have told her, wouldn't he? "Sorry for bothering you."

"Don't mention it," Bulma replied, "talk to you later!"

Chi-Chi hung up the phone and stared out the window. It felt as if all that progress, all the studying and hard work had been for not. Her son had simply run off again. It was simply unfair! All she wanted was to give Gohan a good start in life, was that so much to ask for? How does one handle a child who can fly and is so many time stronger than you?

Oh, how she longed for the days when he still clung to her apron strings! No. No, she didn't long for that at all, not really. His transformation during the past year had been amazing. Gohan had grown from the baby hiding behind her to a strong and confident little man. She was proud of him, it was a good change; but, he was still going to be in deep trouble when he got home!

She turned to the table again which was still piled with food and grabbed a plate. Someone had to eat all that food and it may as well be her; besides, she had a house load of chores to do and a son to deal with when he finally got home.

* * *

After waving 'good bye' to Icarus, Gohan and Piccolo flew toward the Break Wasteland where Piccolo had left Futatsu. The two flew in silence for a few minutes before the young fighter decided to break it, "So, how did you find her?"

"She arrived by pod a little over a week ago," Piccolo replied. "I'm surprised that I'm the only one that had detected it." And that was because he had witnessed it crashing to Earth. Futatsu's Ki had been so faint, he doubted that any of the others had even noticed; but, what about Bulma Briefs?

Bulma was an annoying woman, ever curious and always sticking her nose where it didn't belong. He had expected her to be out there the moment Capsule Corp's sensors detected the pod, but Piccolo had seen no sign of the aqua-haired woman or her father's company. Thank goodness for small favors, he shuddered to think of what she might have done or said.

"She was weak." He went on to say, "Virtually drained of her Ki. I took her to Kami's and when she finally did wake up, he stuck her with me!" Piccolo scoffed. That wasn't entirely true, Kami had said that Futatsu was 'his problem', but it had been Piccolo's choice to take her away from the Lookout. It had seemed like a good idea at the time and Futatsu hadn't been too much of a bother during the past week; until now, that is.

"I swear, if this is some sort of practical joke…" He could just imagine King Kai giggling away on his tiny planet. Piccolo wanted to destroy his car, just to wipe that smug look off of his nose-less face.

"I don't think King Kai would lie about something like that."

"No, but it is suspiciously convenient that he waited until now to tell us." Piccolo replied. The lake that he had left Futatsu at was just coming into view; but, he couldn't detect her presence there. "Damn!" He growled and sped up. Gohan was quick to match his speed.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Piccolo didn't answer and stopped to survey the area. The water laid still, its surface reflected the slow movement of the clouds above and nothing more. A faint rustling in the grass below caught his attention, but it was only a rabbit. Futatsu was nowhere to be found.

"Argh! Where is she? I specifically ordered her to stay here!" He grimaced and touched his temple, "Well, it's indeed universal, Gohan. All women make my head throb!" And this one now even more than Gohan's mother!

"Maybe she didn't go far? We can go look for her," Gohan suggested. "What does she look like?"

"Like…" Did he really have to ask? "Like a green woman with blue hair." Piccolo replied and the two began their search. "This is beginning to be a lot more than I bargained for. How do men even deal with women?"

"If my dad is any indication: very carefully." Piccolo harrumphed at Gohan's reply. 'Very carefully' described how nearly everyone had to deal with the boy's mother; but, the boy did have a point, Bulma was nearly as bad!

Up until that day, Futatsu had been the exception: she wasn't loud or emotional. She had listened to him and offered intelligent conversation. Piccolo had actually enjoyed her company almost as much as he did Gohan's; and then he had to ruin it all by nearly… but he hadn't kissed her, had he? King Kai had seen to that. If that blue little cockroach had waited just a moment longer things would have been a lot worse.

Even now he wasn't sure how he was going to explain it: 'I didn't really mean to kiss you; and, by the way, we're technically the same race,' didn't seem like a valid option. He was going to have to think of something, and quick.

"Hey, I think I see her!"


	10. Chapter 10

Opirus is prettier than Jatoba.

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 10

"Find her, now."

Imoni nodded and quickly turned back to the wall console that he had used before. "Th-there are three p-pod bays on this level," he informed them as he browsed the information. "They u-u-u-u… they used Bay 2." The small Felidaen lead them down the hallway past a few other dead soldiers.

Jerus paused to nudge one of the carcasses with his foot. "Look at this one," he grunted.

The body had a gaping hole through his chest with its edges singed "Looks like this one fell victim to friendly fire." Salona commented, "It's such a pity we didn't get to see it." The others chuckled and Imoni quickly lead them further.

They soon found the doors to Pod Bay 2. There were a few guards lying dead on the floor and a pair of inmates fiddling with the door panel. Jatoba stepped up, "What do we have here?" The two prisoners turned and began stammering out a reply but the Saiyan woman held up her hand, "let me guess, you were just trying to open the doors for us, correct?" They looked relieved and nodded their heads vigorously. "Well, that's funny, because it looks like you were trying to escape the ship!"

The two scrambled backwards and nearly tripped over the carcasses on the floor. "No!" One cried, "We wouldn't do that! We…" He looked to his partner for support.

"…Were trying to open the door for you! Just like you said!" The second quickly finished.

"That's so sweet of you!" Jatoba grinned, her voice dripping like poison tinted honey. She stepped forwards, "running around, and opening doors for little ladies like me." They stared down at her and slowly nodded. "You two are such gentlemen." They nodded again. "It's too bad I have to kill you now!" The two escapees screamed in protest as their bodies were enveloped in hot-red Ki.

As the singed remnants of the escapees collapsed atop the other soldiers, all the sweetness in Jatoba's tone faded away. "Open it."

Jerus immediately opened his mouth which began to glow. "NO!" Imoni cried, jumping up and down and waving his hands in front of the blue frog-like creature. "You really can blow a hole in the hull! We'll be sucked out into space!"

"I'd rather stay on the ship if it's all the same to you, Jerus." Salona stated.

Jerus quickly swallowed the light with in his mouth and coughed up a puff of steam. "You guys are no fun."

"You'll get your fun soon enough." Jatoba replied and watched as Imoni began working on the wiring inside the ripped-off door panel.

"These two did a number on the door's system," He told them as he worked, "but, I think I got it. Ow!" A wire within the panel zapped him and the doors slid open releasing a mass of dark gray clouds into the hallway.

"What did you do, Imoni!" Bean growled.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" He cried and peered inside, "it looks like someone destroyed the console."

"She must have realized that someone would go after her," Salona smirked, "this Futatsu must be rather smart."

Imoni grunted, not smart enough. "I… I-I c-can still find out wh-where they went." He assured Jatoba whose face remained strangely passive, "I-I just need another console."

"I'm getting impatient, Imoni." The female Saiyan replied calmly, "make it quick."

Without another word, Imoni hurried down the hall way. The idea of navigating the ship without the protection of Jatoba scared him, but having the woman displeased with him frightened Imoni even more. He hurdled over a body and past a conjoining hallway and heard someone snarl out, "there's one now!"

"I'm with Jatoba!" Imoni called back without even stopping, "Kill me, she kills you!" He made a mental note to change out of his soldier's uniform as soon as possible and turned down another hallway.

The door to the room he was looking for opened with ease and he breathed a little easier to see that no one was inside. There was still a chance that a few soldiers remained on the massive ship and the last thing Imoni wanted was to run into them. He sat down at the console and brought up the appropriate files. Two pods had indeed left the ship. Imoni memorized the information and made the run back to Jatoba.

"What took you so long?" Bean sneered at Imoni. "Can't you run any faster than that?"

Imoni ignored the larger Felidaen and leaned against the wall. His legs felt like jelly and his lungs felt as if they were on fire. "I… I know where…" He breathed, "I know where they went!"

"Well? Then spit it out, weakling!" Jerus received a quick strike in the side of his gut from Jatoba and crumbled to the floor.

"I give the orders around here, not you." She said and then turned her attention back to Imoni, "Where did they go?"

At least her anger was currently directed at Jerus and not on him. He breathed in and focused on the words in his mind, stuttering would not do at a time like this. "One Pod is headed for Cymic Two, but the other Pod is headed out of Triad territory. I believe that this Arkida may be aboard that pod."

Salona ran her slender green fingers through her fiery red hair, "then the border patrol will catch her."

The Triad Alliance had closed their borders a long time ago. Very few people ever entered or left Triad space, and those who did so illegally were often hunted down, killed or imprisoned. The border patrol was very good at their job; however, there was one thing that Salona did not consider. "The pods are sleek and deflect most types of detection," Imoni explained, "and it would be difficult to spot one against the backdrop of space. There's a very good chance she made it through."

"Well then, that settles it," Bean crossed his arms, "we take pods and we go after her."

"Th-th-that wouldn't work out very well."

"Why not?" Jerus demanded, "It sounds like a good idea to me."

"W-well, you see… the pod she escaped in was not programmed for a p-pa-pa-particular planet," Imoni explained, "b-but t-to scan for a v-viable planet after leaving Triad T-territ-t-tory."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jerus asked.

"It means," Jatoba replied, an angry look in her black eyes. "That even if we could follow her, we don't know what planet she's going to land on. I said I wanted to kill her!"

"Y-you st-still can!" Imoni said, raising his hands. "I-i… I have an idea."

"Another one?" Jatoba began to smile again, "My lovely little Imoni, always full of interesting ideas. Do tell."

* * *

"Hey, I think I see her!" Piccolo heard Gohan call out and Piccolo went to see for himself. They had made it to the mountains that ran north of the Break Wastelands and Futatsu could be seen sitting in meditation on one of the cliffs near the small river.

"That's her, all right."

"What's her name?" Gohan asked, grinning down at the green woman who seemed to be oblivious to their presence.

"Futatsu," he replied.

"Hey, Futatsu!" Gohan cried out, raising his hand to wave at her.

Wait, what had King Kai said about waving? Piccolo quickly caught Gohan's hand, "Don't wave." He whispered although he knew Futatsu couldn't understand them.

"Huh, why not?"

"Just, don't." He replied and peered down at Futatsu. She stared back up at them with her eyebrows raised. Piccolo sighed. He had better get this over with quickly. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Futatsu watched them land. No, Piccolo realized, she was watching Gohan. The boy grinned at her, and remembered not to wave. She smiled back and then held out her hands, palms up, and bowed her head. "_Who is this_?" She asked Piccolo, her eyes never leaving the boy.

"_Gohan_," he replied.

"_Hello, Gohan, it is nice to meet someone new._" Futatsu smiled down at the boy, "_This one_," she motioned to Piccolo, "_is crazy. His insanity is infectious, viral! It is much too late for me, save yourself_." Piccolo grunted. Virus, the irony of her words was not lost on him.

Gohan smiled back at her and looked to Piccolo hoping for a translation. "What did she say?"

"She said that it's nice to meet you." He replied, "And, that she's crazy."

The boy laughed, "It sounded like she said a lot more than that."

"Women talk a lot, but say very little."

"Well, tell her I said 'hi' and that I don't think she's crazy."

Piccolo glanced down at the woman and said, "_He says hello_."

"_I don't think you're translating everything that is being said_." She chided, still smiling at Gohan.

"_I'm paraphrasing._" He glowered down at her, "_I'm not going to translate every damned thing you say_."

The smile slipped away when she turned to meet his gaze. Piccolo felt as if someone had dumped water over his shoulders. "_You would not have to, if you had bothered to teach me the language_."

Ha! "_I never said I'd teach you Japanese."_

"_What?_" She stood up, "_Yes, you did! You said that..._" Futatsu trailed off.

"_I said that I knew the language,_" Piccolo smirked victoriously, "_I never said that I'd teach it to you._" For a moment, it looked as if all the color had drained from her face; it quickly returned, however, her cheeks tinted with violet. His smirk broadened into a fang-barring grin.

"_You_!" Futatsu advanced and jabbed him in the chest with her finger, "_You... vile thing! You implied..._"

Piccolo grabbed her slender wrist and gently pulled her hand away. "_You assumed,_" he told her. "_I implied nothing_." Deep down he knew he was going to regret teasing her but she was just so easy to rile up. Teaching her Japanese had always been a part of his agenda, it just didn't seem so important until now.

Futatsu pulled away and Piccolo was tempted to tighten his grip but relented. "_You should grow some hair_," she stated in a flat tone.

The Namek stood at his full height, towering over the woman while Gohan watched on the sidelines. "_Only if you grow a pair_."

"_I already have a 'pair' and they're so much bigger than yours that I have to carry them on my chest_!" Don't look down, Piccolo told himself, don't look... he looked down, damn! "_What are you looking at_?" He winced.

"_I just realized that your tunic makes you look..._" He struggled to find the right word, "…_large_." With a blinding speed that he wished Futatsu had shown in their spar, she was above him. She snarled out something in Aeridi that Piccolo couldn't translate before hitting him over the head with his own weighted turban. He grimaced but did not retaliate. So maybe 'large' wasn't the word he was looking for.

"Did you tell her?" Gohan asked.

Piccolo glanced over to him as his turban dropped back onto his head; he adjusted it and replied, "No." He had gotten a little side tracked. "I don't think this was a good idea, Gohan." There was a chance that she wouldn't even believe him as he could barely believe it himself; and, even if she did, (which was doubtful), what good would the knowledge do either of them? It would only serve to increase tension and make things more uncomfortable than before. If he had to tell her, certainly there was a better way than this.

"Why, doesn't she need to know?"

"Yes, she does need to know," Piccolo added, he could almost feel her eyes boring into the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder at her, she wasn't glaring but she didn't look pleased either. "I'll tell her, eventually. Just not right now, and not like this."

"So, what now?" Gohan asked as Futatsu walked past Piccolo to sit back down. "I mean, I could try to help you teach her Japanese but mom's been getting on me about my own studies and…" The color drained from the boy's face and he pulled at his hair. "Oh no… mom! She's going to know I'm gone, I'm in so much trouble!"

Futatsu eyed the boy and asked, "_What's wrong_?"

"_Remember how you called us demons?_" Piccolo replied, "_I'll be an angel when you meet his mother_."


	11. Chapter 11

****Thanks to Wulfeh, Aven, and Seru for helping me finally get through this chapter!

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 11

Futatsu dropped the sweaty turban back onto Piccolo's head and fumed in silence as he and the boy spoke. The pitch of Gohan's voice raised an octave or so which indicated a possible question. She made a mental note of how he finished his sentence and then listened to Piccolo's reply: a short, stern word followed by more talking. The two continued to talk and Futatsu couldn't shake the paranoia that she was the subject of the conversation. Her suspicions were confirmed when Piccolo glanced in her direction.

She hated not knowing what was being said, especially when it was obviously about her; but, hitting Piccolo over the head again would only bring temporary satisfaction and wouldn't resolve anything. Futatsu decided to just drop the issue for now. She sat down and closed her eyes. She would confront Piccolo about it after Gohan had left.

The boy let out a cry and Futatsu saw look of terror spread across his face. "_What's wrong?_"

"_Remember how you called us demons?_" Piccolo's frown deepened, "_I'll be an angel when you meet his mother_." Futatsu's eyes widened and then she began to laugh.

* * *

Piccolo stared down at the woman in utter disbelief. He had never heard Futatsu laugh before, and the fact that she was laughing at him made it all the more jarring. King Kai he could handle, he was just an old annoying man; but, to have Futatsu laugh at him was entirely different. "_What's so funny?_" He demanded.

"_You: angelic,_" She giggled, "_I find that difficult to believe._"

Gohan's panic gave way to confusion, "What's she laughing at?"

Me, Piccolo thought and tugged at the collar of his cape, no respect. No respect at all. "She won't be soon enough," he replied and then spoke in Namekian. "_Just wait until you meet her, then you'll see exactly what I mean_."

Futatsu stood up and brushed herself off, "_I accept_."

"_What?_" He cried.

Her smile reminded Piccolo of an alley cat that had just caught a mouse, "_I will meet the boy's mother_."

"_What? No! I didn't say… I didn't mean right now, I only… _argh_!_"

"_If she is truly as bad as you say,_" Futatsu looked down at Gohan, who looked more confused than ever. "_Then we cannot let the boy face her alone_." Piccolo groaned and buried his face in his hand. He did not see this ending well, least of all for him.

"What's going on?"

"_Fine! But you'll regret it. That woman is crazy_" Piccolo snarled down at the blue haired woman and looked back to Piccolo, "We're taking you home."

* * *

All was quiet at the Son House. The dishes from breakfast had been washed, dried and put away. The kitchen and bathroom virtually glimmered with cleanliness. Gohan's bedroom was neat and orderly with all the books placed on the shelves and his bed perfectly made. The only movement was outside where a line of clothes swayed gently in the slight breeze. Just a little ways away from the line was Chi-Chi. She leaned back in a lawn chair with her dark eyes fixed on the drying clothes and forgotten glass of lemonade in her hand. Beads of perspiration rolled down the smooth sides of the glass and collected about the fingers of the still raging mother.

The leaves of the forest rustled with the wind, creating a low and constant 'hush' sound that reminded her of the static of a television set turned down low. Normally, such a sound would be calming to the woman; but, today it only served to aggravate her further. The wind seemed to pick up for a moment and whistled through the branches of the trees before it died back down. A voice could be heard from the front yard, "Mom?"

Gohan! Her drink fell to the ground with a light thump, its yellow contents seeping into the grass as Chi-Chi burst through the line of clothes to see her beloved baby and… him. The anger she had felt for her son's disobedience was forgotten by the very sight of that green, pointy-eared face. "You…" She growled, pointing her trusty frying pan at Piccolo, "This is your fault!"

The green giant harrumphed and crossed his arms. Chi-Chi's confidence wavered momentarily face-to-face with such a terrifying glare, but her rage allowed her to push past her fear of him. "Gohan was such a good little boy until you came along!" She screamed and Piccolo's scowl deepened, "he was quiet…"

"Mom?"

"He did his homework…"

"Mom…"

"He never strayed far from home and…"

"Mother!"

"He always listened to his mother!" The frying pan launched into the air, flying handle over pan toward the Namekian's head. Piccolo, with his arms still crossed, cocked his head to the side to allow the improvised weapon to fly past his ear. Then, an arm reached up and caught it by its handle. Chi-Chi looked again as the frying pan disappeared somewhere behind him. Piccolo's arms were still crossed, there was no way he could have caught it!

Before Chi-Chi could fully comprehend what had happened she heard a soft and lyrical feminine voice ask with elongated vowels and rolling R's: "Kalai boomska cret olu?"

"Wutt cret pana ika boomska," he replied evenly and turned to the strange looking blue-haired woman behind him. She was tall compared to Chi-Chi with skin as green as Piccolo's, ears just as sharp and the same delicate looking antennae. "Wutt cret poli baumne."

"Baumne?" The woman chuckled.

"Mom," Chi-Chi realized that Gohan had been trying to speak to her. Her son looked down at the ground, his cheeks glowing with a faint hue of pink. "We have a guest: Her name is Futatsu."

* * *

The frying pan whooshed past Piccolo's ear and clapped to a stop behind him. "_What weapon is this_?"

"_It's not a weapon_," Piccolo replied and looked back at her. Futatsu flipped the utensil by its handle and rand her slender fingers across the flat surface of the pan. "_It's for cooking_." He risked a glance back at Chi-Chi and felt a secret sense of satisfaction. Just to see the woman's jaw drop had almost made the whole trip worthwhile, almost.

"_Cooking_?"

"Mom," Gohan blushed, "we have a guest: Her name is Futatsu."

At the sound of her name, Futatsu smiled and offered her a slight bow. "H-hello, n-nice to meet you." Chi-Chi managed to stammer out.

"She doesn't understand Japanese, mom." Gohan explained.

"Oh…" Chi-Chi blinked.

"_You are afraid of this woman?_" Futatsu asked in disbelief.

"_Afraid_," Piccolo looked back down at the human mother, "_of her? Hardly._"

'Afraid' was an extreme term, 'cautious' was a little more accurate but still a bit strong. Chi-Chi annoyed him and she had made her hatred for him abundantly clear; (it didn't help, of course, that he had taken Gohan away for training, but that was beside the point). She had a tendency to fly off the handle at the smallest of details, especially where her son was concerned; and, although her power paled in comparison to his own, Chi-Chi was still one of the strongest women on Earth. Perhaps 'cautious' was the best word to use. Chi-Chi didn't need strength: she had the unique ability to cow even the strongest of fighters into submission, even her husband was frightened by her wrath.

"_Ah,_" Futatsu continued to grin, "_if not the woman, then it is this you are afraid of._"

"_What?_" Piccolo snapped, "_of course not_! _Don't be…_"

With a single, smooth motion, Futatsu swung the pan towards his head. He stiffened, braced for the impact, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, he found the flat of the pan barely an inch away from his nose. The Aeridin chuckled, "_I would never hit you with something like this, Piccolo,_" she said and pulled the frying pan away from his face. Piccolo let out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding, "_your face would dent it_."

A snicker caught Piccolo's attention. Chi-Chi no longer wore an expression of shock, but bit her bottom lip in a lame attempt not to laugh. He turned back to Futatsu and snarled, "_You only wanted to come here to humiliate me!_"

"_Of course not, I wanted to make sure the boy was in good hands._" Futatsu replied with a grin, "_This was just a bonus._" Piccolo's agitation rose as her words echoed in his mind, but he bit back his retort. He knew that she was teasing him, but the less he argued with her in front of Chi-Chi, the better.

"_Here, I believe this is yours._" Futatsu held the pan out to her with both hands and Piccolo felt his blood freeze.

"Hey! _Don't give it back to her!_" He hissed, but Chi-Chi had already accepted it. Damn!

"Thank you, uh, Miss Futatsu." Chi-Chi replied and eyed her son, "I thought… you said that there were no female Nameks."

"Yeah, about that," Gohan laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "You see…

"She's not a Namek," Piccolo spoke quickly, "She's an Aeridin, there's a difference." The last thing he needed was for Chi-Chi to know the truth, especially before Futatsu. Gohan started to speak, but Piccolo shot him a glare.

"That's funny," Chi-Chi placed her hands on her hips and stepped up to inspect the Aeridin more closely. Futatsu smiled back, but after being with her for over a week, Piccolo could tell it was a bit forced. "Why does she look almost like a Namek?"

"Why do Saiyans almost look like humans?" Piccolo replied. Now, what was it that Futatsu had said earlier? "It's a big universe out there, has it ever occurred to you that some races happened to evolve in similar ways?"

"I hadn't thought of that…" Chi-Chi's cheeks turned magenta.

"Well, now you have," Piccolo sneered, "so drop the subject."

The pink blush faded away and Chi-Chi pointed the frying pan up at Piccolo's face. "Now you listen here! I don't care if your girlfriend is here…"

"She's NOT my girlfriend!" Piccolo nearly roared, he should have known that Chi-Chi would make such a stupid assumption. Futatsu winced and side stepped away from him and muttered something in Aeridi that he couldn't fully understand.

"Well, whatever she is then!" Chi-Chi waved her hand towards Futatsu. "She can stay, but you…" Chi-Chi stopped and looked down, Gohan was tugging on her sleeve. "What is it, sweetie?" Piccolo took the moment of distraction to move out of melee range.

Gohan pressed his fingers together and mumbled, "Well, I was kind of hoping that I could help teach Miss Futatsu Japanese. You see, she's new here, and she's going to need all the help she can get."

"Teach her Japanese?" Chi-Chi looked up at the woman now standing behind her son and then back down at Gohan. She smiled, "Well, of course you can teach her, sweetie!"

"Really?" Gohan's face brightened, "Gee, thanks Mom."

"Provided that it doesn't interfere with your regular studies," Chi-Chi replied crossing her arms, the frying pan still in hand. Piccolo secretly marveled at how she never managed to hit herself with it. "You're still far behind, and you can't forget your chores either."

"Yes, mom…" Gohan moaned.

"And he," she shot a quick and angry glare at Piccolo who mirrored it right back, "is not to come inside, do you understand?"

"Uh, huh…"

"Now, go finish your homework!" As Gohan hurried inside, Chi-Chi turned her attention back to Piccolo. "The only reason why I'm allowing you to stay is so that Gohan can help your… your friend, here. This isn't going to be a continuous thing, got it?"

"Painfully so," Piccolo replied and watched Chi-Chi march into the house. "_Now do you see what I mean?_"

Futatsu shrugged, "_She does not seem that bad, she just doesn't like you._"

"_No kidding_."

"_What exactly happened, if you don't mind me asking_?"

Piccolo did mind. "_Let's just say that I did a lot of things before I was, as you put it, 'not so evil'._" He explained, "_But never mind that for now, Gohan's going to help me teach you Japanese_." And that meant more Chi-Chi.


	12. Chapter 12

The long awaited Chapter 12!

* * *

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 12

"My lovely little Imoni, always full of interesting ideas. Do tell."

Imoni's chest filled with joy, Jatoba had called him hers! She had called him lovely! Imoni breathed in and rehearsed the words in his head so that he wouldn't stutter. "We can't follow by pod, but we can follow by ship."

"That won't work," Salona spoke up, "the patrol will stop any ship that tries to cross the border."

"Yes," he admitted, "but they have to detect the ship first, and then they have to catch us."

"You're proposing that we attempt to run the boarder," Salona crossed her arms, "in this pile of metal?"

"N-n-negative," Imoni forced a grin, he was stuttering again. "I'm p-pr-pro… suggesting that we upgrade t-to something a little better." He casted a wary eye to Jatoba, the Saiyan female looked back at him with a passive expression. "H-how d-does being a c-captain of your own c-cruiser s-sound?"

"And, how do you expect us to get one of those?" Salona demanded.

"Leave that to me. How do you feel about a change in wardrobe?" He asked and pointed to the dead soldiers, "Suit up and meet me on the bridge. Ms. Jatoba, I'm afraid that Jerus and you will have to sit this first part out."

* * *

Upon entering the room, it was difficult to believe that it was a person's office and not a part of a museum tour. The office was clean, virtually spotless, and had an eclectic feel to it: Model space cruisers and images decorated the walls, metals of valor and other odd knickknacks from across space donned various shelves. There was even a small semi-circular aquarium with a few small, brightly colored aquatic creatures.

Opposite the doors was a sleek, white desk that sat in front of a long window to reveal the vastness of space outside. The desk itself was mostly clear except for an iridescent screen that seemed to hover just above a long, thin bar situated on the desk's surface. The light holographic screen seemed to cast eerie glow onto the face of the ever stoic Captain Bergamot. His sharp, grey eyes never left the screen as he reached for a mug and brought it to his lips.

A pleasant chime filled the air and he set his drink back down. "Captain..." a feminine voice called out over the intercom.

"Yes, what is it Commander Hunwal?" He asked and leaned back in his chair.

"We've intercepted a distress signal," she replied, "Triad signature. Sir, I think you should listen to this."

Captain Bergamot lifted his cup again and said, "Channel it through."

"Yes, Captain."

The recording began:

"This is Deputy Lukumara of the Prison Ship 'Justice Five' calling for assistance. There was a malfunction in our core unit. The prisoners have escaped; I repeat: the prisoners have escaped. A few of us have barricaded ourselves in the helm, but I am unsure how we can hold out." In the background, there was the sound of something pounding against metal. "Please, hurry!"

Captain Bergamot turned to the holographic screen. He began to pull up information on 'Justice Five' and Deputy Lukumara. "Commander, how close are we to 'Justice Five'?"

"Sixty-Thousand-Clicks, Captain."

"Are there any other cruisers nearby?"

"Not within range," Commander Hunwal replied.

"Set course for the ship," the Captain replied, his icy blue eyes scanning the data being displayed on the screen before him, "Send out a subspace message, inform the fleet that we intend to answer the call and request back up as soon as possible."

"Aye, Captain."

With another ring, Captain Bergamot was left in silence. He felt the cruiser shift its course and turned his attention back to the screen. There was a lot of information, and he planned to go through it all before they reached 'Justice Five'. He reached for his drink again but found it light. He stood and wandered across the room to a machine built into the wall. With a push of a button, a slot opened and he placed the mug inside.

"Spice liquor, hot."

The slot closed and the machine whirred to life. Moments later, the slot opened again and the mug had been filled with a steaming, amber colored liquid. Captain Bergamot took the mug and sat back down. It was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Despite being one of the fastest cruisers in the Triad Border Patrol, it still took the 'Sentinel' several hours to reach their destination. Captain Bergamot stood on the bridge holding his hands behind his back and scowled as 'Justice Five' inched across the black view screen before him.

Its lights were dim and flickered erratically which could have been caused by a number of possibilities including a 'malfunction in the core unit'. The major question was, how did such a malfunction occur in the first place? There was another problem: the prison barge was several thousand Clicks off course and he was having difficulty imagining how it had gotten so far without its engines. "Hail them."

"Aye, Captain," responded Ensign Matcha, and a few moments later she added, "no answer, sir."

"Hmmph… try again."

She tried again, but it wasn't until the third hail that they received a response. "They're requesting visual."

Captain Bergamot replied with a short nod and the screen blinked to life to reveal a bridge in complete disarray. There had obviously had been a battle and it was clear from the blood smeared on the broken and smoldering computer boards that the guards had been on the losing side. He couldn't see the bodies of the victims and assumed that they had been moved out of the way by the three surviving guards.

The guard standing closest to the screen was easy to recognize: Deputy Imoni Lukumara, a pathetic looking, grey-skinned Felidean male. His file had stated that he was 'timid' and 'accident prone' but 'extremely intelligent' and 'hard working'. It was impressive to see that such an individual had taken charge in a time a crisis.

Captain Bergamot could not recognize the two guards standing behind Lukumara, but he hadn't had the time to research every single member of the 'Justice Five' crew. The first was another Felidean, a tall, muscular male with a basic light brown and tan skin pattern and a large main of brown hair. His arm was clearly broken.

The last guard came as a bit of a surprise to the captain. A rare few Aeridin ever chose the occupation of 'guard', they were more apt to choose intellectual or religious careers; however, Aeridins fighters were not unheard of, and often proved to be challenging opponents. This particular Aeridin had eyes and hair like hellfire. She glared at the screen and drummed her sharp nails across the metallic railing beside her.

"Deputy Lukumara," he began, "I am Captain Bergamot of the Border Patrol cruiser 'Sentinel'. We are responding to your distress call."

"Yes, th-th-thank you for re-resp-p-ponding," the deputy replied and the captain recalled yet another fact from the young lad's profile. He had a terrible stutter. "We weren't sh-sh-sure how much l-longer we c-c-c-ould hold out."

"We need you to 'hold out' a little while longer," Bergamot replied. "We're still assessing the situation."

"I'll tell you the situation," The fiery-haired Aeridin snapped, "the prisoners are running amuck and we're trapped!"

Deputy Lukumara turned and glared at the Aeridin and then looked back to the screen, "M-my apologies, emo-mo-motions a-are run-ni-ning h-high."

"I understand," Bergamot nodded, "I ask for your patience: a team is being assembled as we speak. We will be contacting you again shortly."

"Y-yes th-thank you." Imoni Lukumara replied, "until then."

Captain Bergamot nodded to one of his officers and the screen went black. "Commander Hunwal, report."

"Our sensors indicate that there are several individuals aboard the ship," the female Felidean replied, "it is very likely that they're the escapees."

"Be careful, 'Justice Five' had several… unsavory persons aboard."

"Yes, Captain, I had a look at the manifest." Hunwal replied.

"The purpose of this mission is to rescue the survivors and take back the prison barge," Bergamot added. "Prisoners are to be taken down, not killed. Is that understood?"

"Aye, Captain."

"Good, then make it happen."

* * *

Commander Hunwal piloted the shuttle to the dock that she had determined to be the closet to the 'Justice Five' bridge. Judging from the sounds she heard just beyond the access hatch, the convicts were fighting amongst themselves. This meant that their mission was going to be violently complicated.

"We need to split up into two groups," Quay, the Security Chief, said with a grunt. "To keep the shuttle protected."

"Agreed," Hunwal replied, "Quay, Sarsa, Parilla, D'git and DeCaste, you're with me. The rest of you remain here."

"Aye, Commander." One of them replied as the chosen five followed Hunwal to the hatch.

"Weapons ready," she said and aimed her gun at the door, "mid settings, we don't want to kill them." Once she was certain that her team was ready, she nodded to D'git. "Open the hatch."

The Aranean Hijal clicked its mandibles together and began to hack into the access hatch computer. The system let out two flat-toned beeps and the door slid open to reveal a group of battling prisoners. Commander Hunwal decided to let Quay take point.

He moved through the hatch and stopped just a few steps in to allow the rest of the team entry and stared at the battling thugs. It didn't appear as if they had been noticed, but when Quay cleared his throat, those still standing turned to face them. "It's the Patrol!" One of them hissed, "Get 'em!" Whatever quarrel the gang had with one another was forgotten in the face of their mutual enemy.

"Stand down!" Quay had a way of projecting his voice so that all could hear what he had to say. Hunwal was half worried that everyone on 'Justice Five' truly had. "Or we will open fire!"

"Let's face it," growled a green, four-eyed mutant. "You can't get all of us before we get you."

"A valid point," Quay replied as he took aim at the out spoken prisoner, "but how willing are you to chance that you're one of them?"

The question seemed to have caught convicts by surprise. They looked at one another and tried to gauge how to react when Quay spoke again, "Fire." The four-eyed mutant crumpled to the ground with the first shot. Five more soon followed at the hands of Sarsa and Parilla. The rest of the crooks turned to run but were soon taken down as well.

After the final laser was shot, Hunwal stepped up to the nearest body and check their vitals. They were still alive, good. She didn't approve of how Quay handled the situation; however, she couldn't see another way to deal with a ship full of criminals. She chose not to say anything for now and motioned for the team to continue. They encountered a few more clusters of prisoners and each one ended in a similar fashion much to Hunwal's chagrin.

The door to the bridge was dented, burned and scarred. The door panel hung from a single screw with several wires hanging out. Hunwal winced as she saw that they had wrapped around the arm of the mummified remains of a prisoner. "Thus is the dangers of Aranean Silk," D'git clicked.

"Can you get it open?" Hunwal asked.

"Yes," replied the Hijal, "I believe I can; but it will take some time."

"Then get to it. Quay, keep guard." She ordered and tapped her communicator. "This is Commander Hunwal: 'Sentinel', please come in."

"This is the 'Sentinel'," She heard Captain Bergamot reply. "I trust you have made it to the bridge?"

"The door is quite damaged, sir, we are working opening it now."

"I will inform the crew," the Captain replied.

"Thank you, sir." Hunwal managed to say before she heard the connect cut out. She sighed and looked to her engineer, "how much longer?"

"It should open, now."

Hunwal heard a hiss as the door slid open to reveal the three relieved prison guards. "Hello, I am Commander Hunwal and this is Chief Quay, we are here to escort you to safety."

The fiery-haired Aeridin smiled at the team, offering her palms to them in a traditional gesture of greetings and good will. "Well," she said, "It's about time."


	13. Chapter 13

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 13

Chi-Chi had determined that Futatsu would use the spare bedroom and made it clear (yet again) that Piccolo was to remain outside. Futatsu was reticent at first, but there was no arguing with Chi-Chi once she had made a decision. Although he found the hypocrisy annoying, Piccolo secretly did not mind. He had slept outside for most of his life and doing so now would not be any different; but, then again there was always Gohan, trusty Gohan.

That night, as soon as the lights went out, the window to the boy's room slid up and Piccolo climbed in. Once inside, he made sure to close the window and to sit in a spot that he knew would be out of sight of the door, just in case Chi-Chi decided to check up on her son.

Gohan laid back down in his bed without a word, but Piccolo could tell by his breathing that the boy was not yet asleep. He waited for the conversation that was to come and it did not take long for Gohan to speak. "Mister Piccolo?"

"What is it, Gohan?" Piccolo opened one eye to peer at him across the darkened room.

"Why didn't you want mom to know truth about Miss Futatsu?"

"I told her the truth," Piccolo replied stiffly, "I said that she was an Aeridin."

"Yes," Gohan countered calmly, "But you left out that other part, it's kind of important too."

The other part, that ancient detail that Piccolo could not yet accept much-less wrap his head around; and, if he was having this much trouble, he could just imagine how Futatsu might react. After all, Nameks were 'demons' in the eyes of Aeridins. Piccolo turned his head to glare out the window, "It wouldn't be fair to Futatsu if everyone else found out before her."

"Oh, I didn't think about that." There was a moment of silence and Piccolo hoped that meant the end of it; but, Gohan spoke again, "well, maybe mom can help!"

Ice shot through his veins. The situation was uncomfortable enough without her knowing about it. He doubted that Chi-Chi would be willing to help; and, even if she was, Piccolo couldn't imagine that it would end well. He was likely to end up with not one, but two dangerous and angry women on his hands. Alone, Chi-Chi was just an annoyance that he tolerated for the sake of Gohan, but if she were to ally herself with Futatsu… He discovered that he was unable to voice this concern and chose to remain silent.

"She could think of a way of telling Miss Futatsu without upsetting her." Gohan explained, "And, she knows a lot more about girls than we do, she is one! Besides, maybe she'll be a little more understanding if she knew what was really going on?"

Piccolo doubted it. It was more likely that she would just hold the information over his head, a tasty piece of blackmail for her to control him with. "I'll think about it," he replied. "Now get some sleep."

Gohan flopped back down on the bed and let out a heavy exhale of breath, "Goodnight, Mister Piccolo."

"Goodnight, Gohan."

Piccolo waited in the darkness until he was certain that Gohan was asleep, he focused his incredible hearing on the other parts of the house. He could hear Chi-Chi in the next room breathing slowly and heavily, which indicated that she too was asleep. The Namek then turned his attention to the guest room. Silence hovered over the room like a thick fog.

There was no doubt that Futatsu was still in the guest room. Her presence was like a beacon of white against the surrounding blackness. It was odd, he had never noticed before how the spirit of another could glow against one's senses. He knew Gohan's well: bright, warm, and welcoming. Futatsu was a little different, she felt cool and calm like the water of a still lake; and yet, below the surface there was a heat which pulsated like a slow, distant drum to his ears. He listened to the beat and allowed it to lure him closer toward sleep.

~So, did you tell her yet?~ For the second time that day, King Kai's nasally voice had invaded the Namek's thoughts. Piccolo gritted his teeth and suppressed a growl of aggravation, he didn't want to wake up Gohan or risk Chi-Chi's wrath. ~I'm guessing that you haven't, have you?~

~No,~ he grumbled, ~not yet. It's a… delicate subject.~

~That's what she said!~ King Kai released a snort, ~or, in this case, he! Ho-ho-ho-ha!~

The laughter raked against Piccolo's already thinning patience. ~This isn't some sort of joke!~ He snapped, ~this is serious!~

The reply seemed to shut the deity up, if only for a blessed moment. ~You're right.~ King Kai spoke in a low, flat tone, ~it is serious. I can understand your reticence to share the news with Futatsu: it goes against everything that either of you thought that you knew about your respective people.~ Reticence was an understatement, at least old blue had an inkling as to why Piccolo had yet to tell Futatsu.

~But,~ King Kai continued, ~it's a heavy burden for anyone to shoulder alone. Are you sure you don't want help? Perhaps you sh-…~

~I don't want, don't need your help!~ Or Kami's, for that matter.

King Kai cleared his throat, ~As I was saying: Perhaps you should contact Rasch.~

Damn! How could Piccolo forget about, Rasch? He was perhaps the oddest of Nail's many brothers. He was a Namek who, for reasons beyond Piccolo's comprehension, had chosen to remain on Earth in order to become, of all things, a lawyer. ~No.~

~Rasch has a way with words, he could help you.~

~No.~

~He has a right to know too, Piccolo.~ King Kai pressed further.

Yes, of course Rasch deserved to be told; but, Piccolo couldn't even bring himself to tell Futatsu. How was he supposed to manage a Namek that he had barely ever spoken to? ~Fine, but he can wait until after Futatsu.~

~Very well, but remember: the longer you wait, the harder this will be.~

~Feh! Listening to you drone on was harder than this is going to be.~

~If you say so,~ King Kai's voice faded away.

Finally alone within his own mind, Piccolo refocused his efforts towards meditation; however, his attention was soon drawn elsewhere. He heard a sound that he had become familiar with during the past week. His blue-haired charge was having yet another nightmare! Barely able to contain the rumbling growl in his throat, Piccolo stood up and nearly knocked down a row of books from one of Gohan's shelves. The events of the day had worn away his patience. If Futatsu wasn't going to deal with her stupid dreams and visions on her own, then he would make her deal with them! Maybe then he'd be able to meditate in peace.

Careful not to make any obvious noise, he slipped out of his young friend's room and made his way down the hall. A loud moan from Chi-Chi's room and the Namek froze in terror. Had that crazy woman somehow heard him? No, after a momentary shuffling of bed sheets and an incoherent mumble about Goku, and she was still again. More relieved than he was willing to admit, Piccolo opened the door to the guest room. The bed was still made and completely empty.

Futatsu was sitting lotus style at the very foot of the bed with her head down and her arms crossed. Her brows were knit together, eyes shut tightly together, and her lips thinned into a slight frown. This expression was normal for her nightmares, but the way she dug her fingers into her arms was not. He closed the door behind him and reached for her shoulder.

…Futatsu opened her eyes with a piercing scream. Piccolo's ringing ears was soon over run by the sound of rolling thunder. No, that wasn't thunder! The door behind him burst open with a resounding 'boom'. He whirled around to face the form of Chi-Chi silhouetted against the pale moonlight. Her eyes seemed to glow with rage and she raised that hateful frying pan…

Piccolo pulled his fingers away from Futatsu's shoulder, "Better not." Futatsu simply replied with what sounded like the love-child between a grunt and whimper.

He harrumphed and sat down in front of her. Waking her up was obviously out of the question, even if she didn't scream there was nothing that he could really say that could turn the tides in whatever battle that was being waged in her sleep. Still, he found it difficult to imagine that anything that she was experiencing in her dreams and visions was somehow worse than what he had dealt with or caused in real life.

Perhaps he could simply force his way into her dream and put a stop to it himself? No, even if that worked, it brought with it a whole new slew of problems. If he was caught, Futatsu could easily turn against him and he wasn't going to give Chi-Chi any more ammunition than she already had; and, even if he wasn't, dealing with the dream himself didn't really solve the problem. If the nightmares were really going to stop and if he was really going to get any peace while he was stuck with her, then she would have to be the one to defeat it; but, that didn't mean he couldn't nudge her in the right direction. Piccolo just had to figure out what 'direction' that was.

He smirked victoriously as the idea finally came to him. Piccolo knew exactly how to get the information he needed and reduce the risk of getting caught. Rather than entering her dream completely as a participant, he would go in partially and act as an observer. She would be less likely to notice his presence if he wasn't fully there to begin with and he could gather the information he required to shove Futatsu in the direction he saw fit. But first, he would have to find a way in and to do that, he needed to meditate.

Piccolo lowered his head, closed his eyes, and began to look inwards. He pushed out the noises of the world around him. The rusting wind outside, the faint snores from Gohan's room, and the light grunts from Futatsu soon faded away and left him in the soundless dark. He pressed on, pushing deeper and deeper against the blackness within. It seemed that the darkness would go on forever, but he continued further until he finally burst through to his core.

He was no longer surrounded by darkness and yet there was no light. Piccolo could see everything around him, but there would be nothing to see within the vast emptiness until he wanted it to be seen. Here, at his core, Piccolo felt in complete control. Here he could focus on one or many aspects of his own being, review and perfect battle tactics, beat down his internal demons, control his wayward emotions, and even discuss issues.

"You shouldn't do this, you're invading her privacy." Perhaps he wasn't always in complete control.

Piccolo didn't bother to look at that which was forming behind him and replied, "Didn't I say that I was going to start charging you rent?" He didn't wait for a reply, pushed past his center and back into the darkness.

It was not as difficult as Piccolo expected to locate Futatsu's mind, the turmoil that was raging within acted as a torch light for his senses to follow. He moved along the edge of her mind until he found a crack in her defenses and slipped through.

Piccolo emerged in a hallway made of ancient stones overgrown with a bluish green moss. There was no ceiling and the sky swirled like a vortex of black and grey lit by the occasional flash of lightening. A sweet and gentle voice drifted through the air, carrying with it the sounds of a soothing lullaby, until he heard the lyrics.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Hardest Thing**

Chapter 14

The trek back to the shuttle went by unchallenged. Those that they did encounter seemed to be far more interested in preserving their own necks and had retreated upon sight. Commander Hunwal was relieved by the lack of aggressive activity; however, Security Chief Quay was suspicious. "This was far too easy," he grunted as they reached the shuttle, "I don't like it."

"I-I'd run t-too," Imoni replied as he strapped himself in for the flight back.

"And you are a coward," Quay growled in response, "You hid while your comrades fought!"

"A coward would have simply hidden alone and waited for it all to be over." The fiery-haired Aeridin replied as she sat down. "It is because of Deputy Lukumara that we are with you now." Quay snorted and grumbled something in his natural tongue that Hunwal did not understand. Hunwal piloted the shuttle away from the prison ship's dock and fought back a smirk. It was not often that someone was able to put a stop to Quay's grumblings.

But, despite her mild amusement, there were still several important questions that needed answering. How had all the prisoners escaped? The cells were equipped with powerful shields to keep its occupants at bay. They even had dampening emitters to inhibit the Ki of those able to harness such powers. Such devices required continuous energy and were connected to the core engine; however, if the core were to fail, the auxiliary system should have kept them going. The only way they could have been shut down completely would have been from the engine room…

A loud groan tore her from her thoughts, and Hunwal stole a look over her shoulder at the large male Felidean they had just rescued. His arm was broken in three places and while they had been able to patch him up temporarily, he still needed urgent medical attention.

Hunwal pressed on her console, "Doctor Gloriosa, please prepare the medical bay, you're going to have guests."

"Yes Commander," a pleasant sounding feminine voice replied.

"Chief Quay…" Hunwal began, not bothering to look back over her shoulder.

"My team will escort them there." He replied. His tone felt like a serrated knife cutting at her nerves.

* * *

Doctor Gloriosa put on her warmest smile as the security team escorted in her three newest patients: an Aeridin like herself, and two male Felideans, the larger of which had a broken arm. She approached him first while her team focused on the other two. "Hello," she said as the twins Sarsa and Parilla guided him to a bed, "I am Doctor Gloriosa, what is your name?"

The large male stared down at her, his eyebrows knitted tightly upward. She kept her smile warm as he shot a glance to his two comrades. The one she figured to be Deputy Lukumara just blinked back with the slightest of shrugs. "Uh, Legume..." He finally muttered.

"Legume," She repeated while she looked his arm over, "Deputy Legume, can you tell me what happened to your arm?"

"Hmph! An escaped prisoner attacked me," he replied as his gaze drifted to the Aeridin patient. "But I got them good too."

Gloriosa continued to smile. She found the very idea of harming another to be simply appalling. "Let us focus on your injuries for now," she replied, "Now, Deputy Legume, if you would just lie back we shall begin." His arm was definitely broken and fractured in two different places. There were no other injuries aside from some bruising.

"The Great Mother must have been with you all!" Gloriosa said cheerfully as she began to prepare the procedure to repair his arm. She put the machine in place and said, "Please lay still, this will take a little while."

"The marvels of modern medicine," the fiery-haired Aeridin finally commented as the machine slowly whirred on.

Doctor Gloriosa turned to offer her a grin, "Yes."

"I am surprised," the other replied, "Most use the old healing techniques."

"Some still do," the doctor admitted, "and so do I, in a pinch; however, this is far more accurate: less risk of a mistake and no Ki wasted."

"I see."

"And, what is your name?"

The fiery-haired Aeridin's lips finally curled up into a warming smile, "I am Castille. It is a pleasure to see you, Doctor Gloriosa."

Gloriosa felt the violet warmth rise in her cheeks and let out a light chuckle to mask her embarrassment. "It is good to meet you as well, Deputy Castille." She looked to her assistants and asked, "How are they?"

"Minor bruising," replied one, "no major injuries detected."

"Good," the doctor had expected as much. Aeridins were able to regenerate quickly and Lukumara probably hid during the worst of it. "If you would like, Sarsa and Parilla can escort you both to the guest quarters. I can contact you when Deputy Legume is finished."

"We would like to remain here," Lukumara replied with a plaintive look on his face, "If that's all right with you."

"We promise to stay out of your way, doctor." Castille still wore that alluring smile on her lips, "We simply would like to remain together. After everything that has happened…" She trailed off and looked over to Lukumara.

"Please?"

Gloriosa understood their desire to remain together after such a traumatic experience. She heaved a heavy sigh, feigning annoyance and then smiled again. "Very well, but please don't distract my nurses from their duties."

"Of course not, doctor." Castille smiled and Gloriosa felt the familiar heat rising to her cheeks again. With another chuckle and a polite nod, she turned and headed into her office.

* * *

Quay tugged on his right tusk as he glared at the holographic screen. Doctor Gloriosa had just sent a message to the senior staff listing the names that the rescues had given her: Castille and Legume. He let out a snort and reluctantly began searching through the 'Justice Five' roster. Aeridins and Felideans, why did they need to have such flowery and multi- syllabic names? Short, quick, and simple, that was the way to go.

The file links appeared on the screen, 'Castille, Maitoshi' and 'Legume, Faba'. He opened the first one and began to skim through it. Castille was… unremarkable. She had been a guard and nothing more. The only note of interest was that she had been counted tardy a few times to her shift. If she had been under his command, that would have happened once and only once.

"Useless," he muttered and opened the second file. Legume wasn't much different. He worked as a level 2 door guard. His entire job consisted of pushing a button to let people out of a civilian area and into a slightly more secure one. "Pathetic!"

There was not an officer among them. They were guards, just low ranking and grievously inept prison guards! The whole situation left a nagging stench that etched itself deep inside his three nostrils. This was not how he liked to operate. He preferred a more direct approach to questioning, one that consisted of a secure room, a chair, and choice equipment; however, as an officer of the Border Control there were certain regulations that he had to follow. Quay opened up a new document and began his report. He would have to put aside his instincts and focus on the facts.

* * *

Captain Bergamot finished reading Quay's report on the recent rescue mission. The old boar was as paranoid as ever. He called all three 'inept guards' but still listened them as suspects in the prison uprising. While the Captain doubted that they were involved, he would keep them under guard for now. The one thing he did agree with was that further investigation of the prison barge was required.

He tapped his communicator and waited for the familiar chime to fill the air. "Commander Hunwal."

After a momentary pause, he received an answer. "Yes, Captain?"

"Prepare the away team," he replied, "you're returning to the 'Justice Five'."

"Aye, Captain!" Another chime signaled the end of the call.

Captain Bergamot leaned back in his chair and stared at the images of the three guards that his team had rescued. He had a feeling nagging at the back his skull that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite figure out what. It was the Aeridin's eyes. Yes, that was definitely it. She looked like she had one or two cogs loose and that Legume didn't seem all there either.

* * *

Doctor Gloriosa snapped her medical scanner shut. "Everything appears to be in order," she told the large male Felidean, "Just be careful for now. The tissue is still new and needs time to strengthen. We don't want you tearing anything." Legume grunted and flexed his arm which she took to mean that he understood. She turned on her heel and headed back into her office, "relax for now. I'll go begin the discharge work."

She slid into her chair and tapped on her Holo-Screen. Legume had been rather lucky that it had been a clean break otherwise more reconstructive surgery would have been required. "That didn't take very long at all."

Gloriosa jerked upright in her chair and swiveled it to face the door. Castille leaned against its frame, with her lean and muscular arms crossed over her chest. The doctor quickly tried to recover from her embarrassment. "Yes," she replied, running her fingers through her own bright yellow hair, "as I said before it's faster and more accurate than conservative healing techniques."

"I'm surprised that the upper Houses would even allow it."

"They don't particularly like it that's true, but they're not stupid." Gloriosa replied as she crossed her legs. "The times are changing, and if they want to keep up with the rest of the Triad, they have to change with them. There's even been talk of lifting the ban on the study of Aeridin anatomy."

"Hmph, one's body is one's temple to the Great Mother," Castille quoted stepping closer to the doctor, "and, to question the temple is to question the Great Mother."

"And to question the Great Mother is to commit blasphemy," Gloriosa added, her shoulders drooping. "But, if the question is never asked, how can it ever be answered? There are so many things that we simply do not know about our own bodies." She paused, "how much do you know about Aeridin anatomy?"

"Not much," Castille replied, "Why?"

"Did you know we have a second set of reproductive organs? They appear to be vestigial, but Wh-…" Doctor Gloriosa was cut short by a scream. She leapt out of her chair and pushed past Castille.

Sarsa and Parilla were both prone on the floor, their necks at unnatural angles. They looked back at Gloriosa with milky, lifeless eyes of terror. Beyond them, she could see Deputy Lukumara with his back pressed against the wall, staring at the other side of the lab. She followed his gaze and let out a stifled whimper. Legume was standing over the corpse of one of her nurses with the neck of the other still within his steel grasp. A single, gut-wrenching snap and he too fell to the floor with a meaty thud.

Gloriosa's scream never got beyond her throat. She had been pulled into Castille's unyielding grasp, her fingers of steel pressed against her lips. "It's a pity that we didn't get to spend more time together," Castille whispered in her ear, "I would have liked to get to know you a little better before making you a part of me." Gloriosa's eyes widened and she tried to pull away to no avail. These were no mere guards, they were criminals and she was in the grasp of one of the worst: Salona, Eater of Souls!

Her captor let out a low, predatory laugh as she felt body begin to tingle. "Good, I see you finally figured out who I really am. See you in a little while, darling." The electric feeling intensified and then Gloriosa found herself in darkness.


End file.
